Phlebotomy Venipuncture Procedure : Guidelines to Prioritizing Draws

Specimen Priority:
“The urgency that the healthcare provider wants the specimen collected/run determines that order’s priority. We have three specimen priorities:
A. STAT (S) – this priority means that the order is to be collected and run right away, without delay. This status is used most often in emergency situations and should be the first specimens collected.
B. URG (U) – this is the urgent specimen priority and it is to be collected as soon as possible but not before a STAT. Urgent specimens are the middle priority, meaning they are important to be done quickly but not absolutely critical (i.e. STAT)
C. ROUTINE (R) – this is the lowest specimen priority. Routine specimens should be collected when you can but not before a STAT or URG.
- The last thing to understand about specimen priority is the concept of Timed Orders. Any one of the above three priorities may be ordered for a specific time of the day to be collected (i.e. URG for 2000 or ROUTINE for 2359). These are called TIMED ORDERS. When a specimen is requested for a specific time then the priority is superceded and the specimen should be collected at the requested time. All STAT and URG specimens (regardless of what time they are ordered for) go into their respective Collection Category (STAT or URG, see above). If a specimen is ordered as a ROUTINE priority for a specific time, it will go into that specific Collection Category time (i.e. 0830 or 1600). If a
specimen is ROUTINE priority and DOES NOT have a specific time requested it will go into the POOL Collection Category. Any specimens in the POOL Collection Category are of the lowest urgency, to be collected whenever you have time.”
NOTE: STATS and TIMED ORDERS are to be collected within a 15 minute window (15 minutes before
or after the ordered time). It is encouraged that these specimens are received in the laboratory within 15
minutes of being drawn.