Service Request
A direction given by a regulated health care professional within their authorized scope of practice to request a procedure, diagnostic test, medication or other health care service. This includes direct orders and medical directives.
Note:
A service request is a formal, documented request that serves as an authorization to proceed with the task and can be used to initiate a workflow, transfer care or manage a patient's treatment plan.
A service request captures clinical intent. It can be treated as a planned activity, with the difference that it represents an actionable request.
Requests are distinct from events in that an event is primarily focused on what has occurred or is occurring while requests deal with what is "desired" to occur. While creating a request or definition can be seen as a type of event, the focus is not the "creation" but the desire/intention.
For Laboratory Service Requests, Service Request Category Code is fixed to "LAB".
For Medical Imaging Service Requests, Service Request Category Code is fixed to "DI".
Appears in
Constraints
- XOR (Service Request Quantity Value, Service Request Quantity Range, Service Request Quantity Ratio)
Stereotype(s)
n/a
Attributes
| Attribute | Type | Multiplicity | Attribute note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Request Identifier | Identifier | 0..* | Alphanumeric identifier(s) assigned to the service request. |
| Service Request Code | Codeable Concept | 0..1 | Uniquely specifies what is being requested/ordered.
Value Set: To be developed. |
| Service Request Intent Code | Codeable Concept | 1 | Uniquely specifies the purpose or goal of the request (e.g., proposal, plan, directive, order (original, reflex, instance order), option).
Value Set: https://hl7.org/fhir/R4/valueset-request-intent.html
|
| Service Request Category Code | Codeable Concept | 0..* | Uniquely specifies the high-level classification(s) among the types of health care services that can be requested (such as imaging or lab). Member concepts facilitate searching, sorting and display (e.g., consultation between health care providers, imaging, laboratory test, patient referral, procedure).
Value Set:
&&https://ui.terminologystandardsservice.ca/ui/deeplink?iss=https://terminologystandardsservice.ca/fhir&type=ValueSet&canonicalUrl=https://fhir.infoway-inforoute.ca/ValueSet/servicerequestcategorycode |
| Service Request Consultation or Referral Type Code | Codeable Concept | 0..1 | Uniquely specifies the purpose of the service request as intended by the referring health care provider (e.g., opinion only, transfer of care or co-management, ongoing management, re-service request).
Additional Guidance: for use in Consultation or Referral only.
Value Set: To be developed.
|
| Service Request Priority Code | Codeable Concept | 0..1 | Uniquely specifies how quickly the service request should be addressed with respect to other requests (e.g., routine, urgent, ASAP, STAT/emergency).
Value Set: https://hl7.org/fhir/R4/valueset-request-priority.html |
| Service Request Quantity Value | Quantity | 0..1 | The amount of services requested expressed as a single quantity (decimal or integer) along with the unit of measure for the service request amount (e.g., visits, hours, dollars).
Unit of Measure Code
Value Set: To be developed.
|
| Service Request Quantity Range | Range | 0..1 | The amount of services requested expressed as a range of quantities, along with the corresponding units of measure (e.g., visits, hours, dollars).
Lower Limit.Unit of Measure Code, Higher Limit.Unit of Measure Code
Value Set: To be developed. |
| Service Request Quantity Ratio | Ratio | 0..1 | The amount of services requested expressed as a ratio of quantities, along with the corresponding units of measure (e.g., visits, hours, dollars).
Numerator.Unit of Measure Code, Denominator.Unit of Measure Code
Value Set: To be developed. |
| Service Request Timing Code | Codeable Concept | 0..1 | Uniquely specifies the timing schedule when a service request should be performed.
Value Set: To be developed. |
| Service Request Timing Frequency | Quantity | 0..1 | The frequency of the service request.
Unit of Measure Code
Value Set:
https://ui.terminologystandardsservice.ca/ui/deeplink?iss=https://terminologystandardsservice.ca/fhir&type=ValueSet&canonicalUrl=https://fhir.infoway-inforoute.ca/ValueSet/x_timeunitsofmeasure
|
| Service Request Time Of Day | Time | 0..* | The time(s) of day the service should be performed (e.g., 1300 hrs). |
| Service Request Day Of Week Code | Codeable Concept | 0..* | Uniquely specifies the day(s) of the week when the service should be performed (e.g., Monday, Wednesday).
Value Set:
https://fhir.infoway-inforoute.ca/ValueSet/daysofweek
|
| Service Request Communication Method Code | Codeable Concept | 0..1 | Uniquely specifies the original method used to send the service request (e.g., fax, secure messaging).
Value Set: To be developed. |
| Service Request Body Site Code | Codeable Concept | 0..* | Uniquely specifies anatomical location(s) where the requested service should be performed.
Value Set: https://fhir.infoway-inforoute.ca/ValueSet/anatomicaloracquiredbodystructurecode |
| Service Request Do Not Perform Indicator | Indicator | 0..1 | An indicator of whether (if true) the requested service should not be performed due to a clinical contraindication. |
| Service Request As Needed Indicator | Indicator | 0..1 | An indicator of whether the requested service should be performed on an as-needed basis. |
| Service Request Do Not Perform Reason Code | Codeable Concept | 0..* | Uniquely specifies the clinical reason(s) (health condition(s)) why the requested service should not be performed.
Value Set:
&&https://ui.terminologystandardsservice.ca/ui/deeplink?iss=https://terminologystandardsservice.ca/fhir&type=ValueSet&canonicalUrl=https://fhir.infoway-inforoute.ca/ValueSet/healthconditioncode |
| Service Request Additional Instructions Information | String | 0..1 | Additional details and instructions about the how the services within the service request are to be delivered, performed, prepared for or coordinated. |
| Service Request Internal Indicator | Indicator | 0..1 | An indicator of whether the service is internal (if true) or external (if false).
Note: This indicator helps distinguish in-patient referrals, which impact audit processes, billing, notes visible to providers and triage processes. In primary care the indicator is used to distinguish between a referral that came from the provider and one created based on a patient's request. |
| Service Request Effective Period | Period | 1 | The period - start and end date and, if known, time - when the requested service is intended to be valid.
End of period is mandatory. |
Relationships
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How to cite:
Canadian Institute for Health Information. Service Request. Accessed November 02, 2026.
