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OutSmart Guide

Analyzing a Lab Report

The first step in using Lab AI is to analyze a lab report. That’s when OutSmart reads the document and pulls the test values into a structured table. This page walks through what to attach, where to click, and what to expect on screen.

Before you start

You need:

  • A patient chart open, with an Objective → Measurements section already added. If you don’t have one yet, see Measurements for adding the section.
  • The lab report uploaded against the chart’s measurement section as an attachment (PDF, JPG, PNG, or TIFF).
  • AI credits available, from any of: starter credits, an AI Plan, an Office Pool share, or top-up credits. See How AI Credits Work for the full picture.

Running the analysis

  1. Open the patient’s SOAP chart and scroll to the Measurements section.
  2. Attach the lab report PDF or image to the measurement section using the section’s attachment field.
  3. Click the Import From Lab Results button. The Import Lab Results panel opens.
  4. In the Select document dropdown, pick the lab report you just attached.
  5. Click Analyze. Lab AI reads the document and produces a table of extracted test rows below the button.

Each extracted row shows:

  • Test name as it appears in the lab report
  • Value
  • Unit
  • Reference range
  • Flag if the report marked the result high, low, or otherwise abnormal
  • A match indicator showing how confidently Lab AI mapped the test and unit to OutSmart’s measurement list

Analysis usually completes in well under a minute. For a long multi-page PDF that needs full OCR, it can take a bit longer.

What the match indicators mean

Each row carries a small coloured arrow that tells you at a glance whether Lab AI was able to match the test and unit to an existing measurement in OutSmart’s list:

IndicatorMeaning
GreenFull match. Both the test name and the unit were matched to entries in OutSmart’s measurement list. Ready to import as-is.
OrangePartial match. Either the test was matched but not the unit, or the other way around. You can correct the missing part using the dropdown in that row before importing.
RedNo match. Lab AI couldn’t find the test or unit in OutSmart’s list. Pick a match from the dropdowns, or skip the row.

You can import rows in any combination of these states. The next step (Importing Lab Results into a Chart) covers how to fix mappings and choose what to bring in.

When the same document is analyzed twice

If you analyze the same document a second time (for example, you closed the panel and came back to it later), Lab AI returns the saved result without using another credit. The table appears immediately and the credit counter doesn’t change.

This means you can revisit a lab report any time without worry. Re-mapping a row or generating an interpretation you skipped the first time also uses the saved extraction.

Troubleshooting

”This file cannot be analyzed”

The attached file isn’t one of the supported types (PDF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, TIF, TIFF). Re-export or re-scan the document as one of those formats and re-attach it.

”We couldn’t find the selected document”

The attachment may not have finished uploading, or it was removed from the section. Re-attach the document and try again.

”You have no AI credits remaining”

Your AI credit balance is zero. The You’re out of AI credits panel that appears guides you to top up, upgrade your plan, or sign up for an AI Plan. See When You’re Out of Credits.

Very little came back from a long lab report

Some scanned lab reports have unusual layouts, especially when several tables are split across pages. Lab AI may pick up only the first table or two. If that happens, you can:

  • Re-attach a clearer scan if one is available
  • Add the missing rows manually in the chart’s Measurement section

The analysis is taking a long time

Large multi-page PDFs that need full OCR take longer than text-based PDFs. If the analysis stalls or times out, try the same document again. Lab AI resumes from any work that was already completed and rarely needs to start fully over.

What’s next

Once the analysis returns a table of extracted rows:

  • You can request a Clinical Interpretation, a short written summary of the results.
  • You can review, correct, and Import the rows into the chart.

These steps are independent. You can do one, both, or neither.