lab number

lab_nbr

clinical

Updated 5/16/2026

Definition

Numeric reference value assigned to a laboratory order, test, or facility record in LIS, EHR, or claims data systems. Used as a secondary identifier for lab tracking, cross-referencing with payer claim lines, and supporting data reconciliation between ordering systems and reference laboratory billing platforms.

Standard Abbreviation

lab_nbr

Database Usage

-- Example column naming
CREATE TABLE claims (
  clm_id VARCHAR(50),
  lab_nbr INTEGER,  -- lab number (count/integer value)
  ...
);

-- Example in SELECT
SELECT
  clm_id,
  lab_nbr as lab_number
FROM claims;

Common uses in healthcare data

Risk stratification and population health analytics
CMS-HCC risk adjustment and RAF score calculation
Quality measure attribution and HEDIS reporting
Clinical data warehouse schema design
Value-based care contract performance tracking

Example database column name

ISO-11179 snake_case standard

-- Recommended column name
lab_nbr

-- Example DDL
CREATE TABLE healthcare_data (
  record_id   VARCHAR(50)   NOT NULL,
  lab_nbr      INTEGER,  -- lab number (count/integer value)
  created_dt  TIMESTAMP     NOT NULL DEFAULT NOW()
);

Column names follow the ISO-11179 naming convention: lowercase, underscore-separated, using the standard abbreviation as a prefix where applicable.

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