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

# Walk-in lab and imaging clients

> Test or scan someone at the counter without registering them: record who they are, take payment at once, and link them to a patient later.

export const AuditNote = ({action = 'This action'}) => <div className="ck-callout ck-callout--info" role="note">
    <p className="ck-callout__body">
      {action} is written to your workspace's audit log with your name, the
      record touched and the time — a HIPAA requirement, and one you can review
      yourself under <strong>Audit Log</strong>. See{' '}
      <a href="/platform/security/audit-log">Audit log</a>.
    </p>
  </div>;

export const StillStuck = ({topic}) => <div className="ck-callout ck-callout--note" role="note">
    <p className="ck-callout__body">
      <strong>Still stuck{topic ? ` with ${topic}` : ''}?</strong>{' '}
      Check <a href="/platform/help/troubleshooting">Troubleshooting</a> first —
      it covers the failures we see most often. If that does not resolve it,{' '}
      <a href="/platform/help/contact-support">contact support</a> and include
      your workspace name and the time the problem happened, so we can find the
      matching entry in your audit log.
    </p>
  </div>;

export const TaskHeader = ({before, time, after}) => <div className="ck-task">
    {before ? <div className="ck-task__cell">
        <div className="ck-task__title">Before you start</div>
        <p className="ck-task__body">{before}</p>
      </div> : null}

    {time ? <div className="ck-task__cell">
        <div className="ck-task__title">Takes about</div>
        <p className="ck-task__body">{time}</p>
      </div> : null}

    {after ? <div className="ck-task__cell">
        <div className="ck-task__title">When you're done</div>
        <p className="ck-task__body">{after}</p>
      </div> : null}
  </div>;

export const Path = ({steps = []}) => <span className="ck-path">
    {steps.map((s, i) => <span key={i} className="ck-path__step">
        {i > 0 ? <span className="ck-path__sep" aria-hidden="true">
            ›
          </span> : null}
        {s}
      </span>)}
  </span>;

export const Availability = ({editions = ['all'], plans, roles, note}) => {
  const list = editions.includes('all') ? ['clinic', 'pharmacy', 'lims'] : editions;
  return <div className="ck-avail" role="note" aria-label="Feature availability">
      <span className="ck-avail__label">Available in</span>

      {list.map(e => <span key={e} className={`ck-pill ck-pill--${e}`}>
          {EDITION_LABELS[e] || e}
        </span>)}

      {plans ? <span className="ck-avail__label">Plan</span> : null}
      {plans ? <span className="ck-pill ck-pill--plan">{plans}</span> : null}

      {roles ? <span className="ck-avail__label">Who</span> : null}
      {roles ? <span className="ck-pill ck-pill--role">{roles}</span> : null}

      {note ? <span className="ck-avail__note">{note}</span> : null}
    </div>;
};

<Availability editions={['clinic']} plans="All plans" roles="Anyone who can order a lab test or an imaging study; taking payment needs the Collect payments permission; only an owner or manager can link a client to a patient" note="Needs the Diagnostics care area" />

Some people only want one test or one scan and will never be your patient. Choose **Walk-in** instead of searching for a patient, record who they are, and the request goes to the bench like any other. A walk-in is **not added to your patients** — they do not appear in Patient Management, your patient counts or your patient limit, and they never receive reminders or marketing messages.

<Path steps={['Sidebar', 'Laboratory', 'Lab Test List', 'New Test Report']} />

<TaskHeader before="The Diagnostics care area switched on, and the test or study in your catalogue" time="About a minute" after="A paid request on the bench's list, labelled with the client's walk-in number" />

## Request a test or scan for a walk-in

<Steps>
  <Step title="Choose Walk-in">
    On the lab ordering form ([Lab reports](/hospital/diagnostics/lab-reports)) or the imaging ordering form ([Radiology reports](/hospital/diagnostics/radiology-reports)), the first card has a **Patient** / **Walk-in** switch. Select **Walk-in**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Record who they are">
    Enter **Full name**, **Sex** and either **Age (years)** or **Date of birth (optional)**. **Phone (optional)** is the only field you may leave empty. If you give a date of birth the age is worked out from it. There is no "unidentified" option: a result is a clinical record, and the report has to say who it is for.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose the tests and take payment">
    Add the tests or studies exactly as you would for a patient. Tick **Collect Payment Now** to take payment at the desk — walk-in requests are meant to be paid at the counter, so there is no pay-later list for them. Then select **Create Lab Orders** (or **Create & Pay**).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Hand over the slip">
    The receipt names the client and prints their number in the form **Walk-in W-000123**. Each clinic numbers its walk-ins from **W-000001**. That number is what the client quotes when they come back for the result.
  </Step>
</Steps>

Each walk-in request gets its own walk-in number. If the same person has a lab test and a scan on one visit, put the tests on one request where you can; if they register later, link each of their walk-in records to the one patient.

## Find a walk-in client

On **Lab History** and **Radiology History** there is a **Walk-in clients** tab beside **By Patient** and **All Records**. It lists one row per client — their number, name, sex and age, how many requests, the latest status, and what has been paid of what is due — with a search box for name, number or phone. Select **Open** for the client's record: their details, every lab test and imaging order with its result, and its payment state.

The worklist on [Laboratory](/hospital/diagnostics/laboratory) shows a walk-in's request with the client's name, their walk-in number in the ID column, and **Walk-in client** as the type. Results are entered, reported and downloaded exactly like any other request; the report carries the walk-in number where a patient's report carries their patient ID.

## Take payment later

If a request was captured offline, or payment was skipped, open the client from **Walk-in clients**. Under **Take payment**, choose the payment method and select **Record payment**. Walk-in payments go through this panel and the order forms only; they do not appear in the pending payments list on Payments.

## Link a walk-in to a patient

When someone you tested at the counter registers as a patient, an owner or manager can attach their history to their record. Open the client, under **Link to patient** search for the patient and select them, then confirm **Link to patient**.

* Their tests, scans and the payments for them move onto the patient's record.
* The walk-in record is kept, with who linked it and when.
* It cannot be undone, and a client can be linked only once.

## Who can do this

| Action | Who by default | The governing permission |
| - | - | - |
| Request a lab test or scan for a walk-in | Anyone who can order lab or imaging | The lab and radiology ordering permissions |
| Take payment | Owners, managers, and staff with the permission | **Collect payments** |
| Link a client to a patient | Owners and managers | Role |
| Open the client's record | Lab and imaging staff | Role |

Opening a walk-in's record is recorded in the [Audit log](/platform/security/audit-log) against the walk-in's number, never their name.

## Check it worked

After you create the request, leave the form and open **Lab History** → **Walk-in clients**: the client should be there with their number. Search for them in **Patients**: they should not be.

## Common issues

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="The Walk-in switch is missing">
    It appears when you start a **new** request, in the full and lab-only editions. The pharmacy edition has no lab or imaging. On a request that already exists the card shows the client's details instead.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="“Enter the client's name, sex and age or date of birth.”">
    One of the required fields is empty. Name, sex and age (or date of birth) are all needed; phone is not.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Send is missing on a walk-in's report">
    A walk-in has no patient record to send to, so a report cannot be sent securely. Download or print it, or link the client to a patient first.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Payment failed after the request was created">
    The request is saved and waits as unpaid. Open the client under **Walk-in clients** and use **Take payment**.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## FAQ

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Can I register them as a patient straight away instead?">
    Yes — choose **Patient** and use **Select Patient**. Walk-in is for people you do not want to register.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How long is a walk-in's record kept?">
    As long as any lab record: seven years. It is included in your data export under **Walk-in Lab & Imaging Clients**.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Is this the same as a walk-in test in Lab History?">
    No. A **Walk-in** test in **All Records** is a registered patient tested without a visit or ward stay. A **walk-in client** is someone who was never registered.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does it work offline?">
    Yes for the request: it is held on the device and sent when the connection returns, and the walk-in number is assigned then. Payment is never taken offline, so settle it under **Take payment** once you are back online.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

<StillStuck topic="a walk-in lab or imaging client" />


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