July 26, 2026
LAB UPDATE: Effective 1 August 2026, the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Services will no longer accept paper orders (written or printed) from outside providers.
Join Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. —
UPDATE: Effective 1 August 2026, the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Services will no longer accept paper orders (written or printed) from outside providers.
Laboratory tests, when ordered by an outside provider as part of a Tricare referral, are included and embedded with the referral to ensure the ordered receive proper result routing, coding, billing, and follow up. When outside orders are performed at Madigan, the provider cannot access the results quickly as they do not have access to MHS Genesis. This results in a delay of care. An additional safety concern is that any critical values (defined as a result that needs immediate medical attention) cannot be appropriately acted upon due to the lack of connection between the outside provider and MHS Genesis. Due to these concern, the Laboratory at Madigan is no longer processing outside orders.
What does that mean for you, as the patient? If you see a doctor outside of a Military Treatment Facility, you will need to have your lab work done at their recommended facility.
Ask your provider: When your outside provider orders a lab test, ask them, “Where should I go to get this collected?”
Know your options: Major health systems (like MultiCare, Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, and UW Medicine) typically use their own internal labs. Smaller doctor’s offices usually send patients to commercial labs such as LabCorp.
If you need help selecting an outside provider or navigating your care, please reach out to your Primary Care Manager or TriCare representative.