How to Order (Practitioners)

As a registered practitioner, you will have an account on our Practitioner Portal to place orders, track progress and securely download reports.

One Lifecode Gx® DNA Test is required for each new order and will provide the data to run all of the reports in the order.

Place a New Order

Log in to the Practitioner Portal and click the New Order button.

Select the required reports (one Lifecode Gx® DNA Test kit is required for each new order and cannot be unchecked). Prices are shown below each item, and any applicable discounts are shown below the list of reports. A discount will be activated automatically when the appropriate items are selected. There is no VAT to pay on our tests or reports.

Note that prices and discounts have been invented in the image below. If you are looking to add reports to an existing order, please see the section Adding Reports below.

Add a client reference to the order. This is to help you identify the order in your list of orders, so should be something unique and meaningful to you. It is also displayed on the bottom of the first report page.

Select the correct shipping country for the recipient of the test kit. For overseas destinations, additional shipping fees are shown against the country (see the section International Postage below) and we will ask for a contact email and phone number for the recipient (for the courier).

Complete the shipping name and shipping address. Please double check the address as we do not validate it.

Payment

You can pay and invoice your client separately, or we can email your client to ask for payment.

If Practitioner Pays is selected, the following page will ask for your payment details and we will process your order immediately. We do not include any payment information in the test kit or share any payment information with the recipient.

If you would like your client to pay, select the Client Pays option. The following page will ask for your client's email address and we will send them a link (valid for 30 days) to collect payment. While waiting for payment the order will be shown with a status of 'Pending Payment'. The DNA test kit will be posted on receipt of payment.

There is no difference in pricing for either payment method and if Client Pays is selected, they will see a breakdown of the costs.

Taking the DNA Sample (Cheek Swab)

The DNA test is a simple, non-invasive cheek swab that is easy to do at home. The only requirement is to abstain from eating/drinking for at least 1 hour before testing. More information is available in the ​How to do the test support document.

Make sure your client signs and returns the consent form and includes the stabilising capsule (whole) in the tube with the swab. We cannot process an order without a signed consent form and a stabilising capsule.

When testing a child under 18 years of age a parent or guardian with parental responsibility can provide consent on the child's behalf.

Returning the Sample

There are no special storage or transport requirements and the sample can be returned on any day. The envelope can simply be dropped into a post box, but if your client chooses to take it into a post office and they query the PO Box number, our label is correct – some smaller post offices may not have up to date records.

The return address within the UK is:

You will be notified by email when the reports are ready to download (about 2 weeks after sample receipt).

International Postage

We supply packaging labelled for customs, but it is your client's responsibility to arrange and pay for returning the package to the UK (courier or tracked delivery is recommended). The package is low weight and no special paperwork is required. As DNA samples with the stabilising capsule are stable for several weeks it is not necessary to use an express service.

Overseas packages should be returned to:

Viewing an Order

You can check the status and progress of an order at anytime by logging in to the Practitioner Portal.

The most recent orders are shown by default. Clicking the All tab will switch to listing all orders. Clicking View will open the details for that order.

If we have not received a sample back after 15 days from when the test kit was posted, this is flagged at the top of the orders page. The orders are also highlighted in the Recent and All listings. We stop highlighting these after 60 days to prevent old orders being highlighted forever.

An order marked with a red dot means that reports have been recently made available and the order has not been viewed yet. Clicking View will open the order detail and the red dot will disappear. Orders with a red dot are positioned at the top of the recent order list.

Once an order has been opened for viewing, the top section of the page shows the general details, including the invoice. These details will vary depending on what stage the order is at.

The Reports Ordered section lists the reports ordered and once they are available, the report name can be clicked to open/download the report.

Finally, the  Activity section at the bottom of the page outlines the stages the order has progressed through, so you can check order progress.

Adding Reports

For a period of 6 months from when we receive your sample, we can add other reports to your order using the data from your original DNA sample. After 6 months, we will need to send your client another DNA test kit to obtain a new sample.

Open the order in the Practitioner Portal as detailed above and click the green Add Reports button. A popup will appear and allow you to choose the reports and you will receive a payment link. Note that we email you the payment link and not your client. You can of course forward the email to your client.

Booking a Support Call

We provide a complimentary 30 minute video support call to answer questions about your client's reports. This service is strictly practitioner only, not available directly to clients, not a tutorial or a training session, and not a consultation. This can be arranged by clicking the green Support Call button. For more information see How do I book a practitioner support call.