Health Gorilla updates API to enable orders for coronavirus testing

Health Gorilla announced that electronic lab ordering for coronavirus testing is now available for physicians who use its web application.

Health Gorilla's developer partners can also access the system to order COVID-19 tests, as can physicians using the company's integrated electronic medical records system.

"The core use case that we are seeing is the digital health companies wanting to own workflow, they're wanting to control the user experience and they are not using a commercial [electronic health record system], and so they need the ability to create this flexible lab ordering infrastructure that works for them and their patients," said Ali Zaman, vice president of marketing at Health Gorilla.

Developers and physicians will be able to order coronavirus testing immediately through Health Gorilla.

"This means that all of the digital health organizations that licensed our API and have implemented it into their own products can now order coronavirus tests electronically through a couple of clicks, and either their products or in the Health Gorilla interface that they've embedded," Zaman said.

DrChrono uses Health Gorilla's lab network API to enable electronic lab ordering for its users. Thousands of providers rely on the API to make orders.

"They're doing it as a benefit to doctors because doctors may want to do lab work to check if someone may have the coronavirus," said Daniel Kivatinos, COO and co-founder of DrChrono. "I think lab work is going to grow over the next month and several months because of the virus, and [Health Gorilla] is doing something noble, in a sense, that they are giving free services to providers."

Health Gorilla offers lab testing from LabCorp and Quest for the time being, but the company is making plans to add other national and regional labs.

"We are working with them to add their tests to the compendium and coordinate when they can start accepting orders. Many doctors might prefer to work with a lab they're been working for the past 10 years," Zaman said.

The announcement regarding coronavirus testing comes as COVID-19 was officially labeled a pandemic this week by the World Health Organization. The Gates Foundation has also funded at-home tests to be administered to new cases.

The electronic ordering is free for existing users and non-users. Independent physicians will have to make an account to begin using the ordering system.