> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.elationhealth.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# The Service Location Object

> A clinic or facility where a practice sees patients, used as the location on appointments and the place of service on bills.

## In the EHR

Service locations are managed as Practice Locations in a practice's settings. Each location carries a Place of Service (POS) code, and the practice's locations are what staff choose from for an appointment's location, the service location in a visit note's billing information, and the prescriber location on a prescription. See the [Practice Locations Guide](/articles/adding-a-second-practice-location).

## Working with service locations via the API

**Deleting a service location makes it inactive.** `DELETE` archives the location rather than removing it. The location stays retrievable by its id and continues to appear in list responses, with `status` set to `inactive` and `deleted_date` set to the time it was archived. Check `deleted_date` when you need only the locations a practice currently uses.

**The primary service location holds the practice's main contact details.** A practice has one primary location, and saving it also updates the practice's own address, phone, fax, and email to match. A `POST` with `is_primary` set to `true` and a `DELETE` of the primary location both return a validation error, and every `PUT` or `PATCH` to the primary location must include `phone` and `fax`. When the practice's main address or phone number changes, update the existing primary location.