In this article, we'll show you how to connect your organization's Elation account to Heads Up so you can automatically sync patients and lab results.
This integration creates a seamless workflow between your EHR and Heads Up, eliminating duplicate data entry and ensuring consistency across platforms.
This article was updated on August 8, 2025. If you see any discrepancies or anything that needs to be updated or edited, or if you want to leave us feedback, let us know.
The How-to
Part 1: Prerequisites
Before you begin, make sure you have:
An active Elation account with API access enabled
A Heads Up Account with the Elation Integration enabled by Heads Up Customer Support
Confirmation from Elation customer support that they have sent the API credentials for your practice to Heads Up
Part 2: Enable the Elation Integration in Heads Up
Go to your Organization Settings > Integrations
Find Elation in the list and click Link
Plug in the Client ID and Client Secret that was sent from Elation in the pre-requisites
Put app.elationemr.com in the API Hostname
Part 3: Configure Your Elation Tag
To sync patients from Elation to Heads Up, you'll need to tag them with a special "HeadsUp" tag in Elation. This tag tells the system which patients should be synced.
Here's how to set it up:
Log into your Elation account
Navigate to Settings > Practice Settings > Patient Tags
Click Add Patient Tag
Create a new tag called "HeadsUp" (exact spelling matters)
Save your new tag
Start syncing patients:
Ensure the patient in Elation is active and has an email address documented - this is how we map to ensure the patient is the same person in Heads Up.
Simply add the "HeadsUp" tag to any patient you want to sync to Heads Up. You can do this individually or in bulk.
What happens when you tag a patient:
Once a patient receives the HeadsUp tag, our system automatically:
Creates their Heads Up account (if they don't have one already)
Imports up to 24 months of historical lab result PDFs (Default: 1 year)
Imports up to 10 years of historical discrete lab result data (Default: 2 years)
Pulls in any lab report PDFs
Sets up real-time syncing for future updates (like name changes or account status)
💡 Pro tip: You can tag patients in bulk using Elation's patient list features — perfect for getting your entire practice connected quickly!
How does a PDF sync from Elation to Heads Up?
To upload a PDF to Elation, simply drag and drop the file from your local machine onto the patient’s chart in Elation. After upload, the file must be classified as "Laboratory Report".
It is critical to wait for Elation to finish processing the document first. Then, Sign Off on the file and it will sync to the patient in Heads Up.
What Happens Next?
Once connected, Heads Up will:
Perform an initial sync of existing patient data (this may take 10-30 minutes depending on your practice size) including PDF and Discrete Lab Data
Set up automatic syncing for new and updated records
Display synced data in the appropriate sections of each patient's profile
How the Syncing Works
Real-time Updates: New lab results appear within 5 minutes of being entered in Elation
Data Matching: Patients are matched using their email address as the primary identifier
Key Features
Lab Results Integration
Lab results from Elation automatically populate in the Heads Up Lab Results section
Historical lab data is preserved with original dates
Results maintain their reference ranges and units from Elation
Patient Demographics
Basic information (name, DOB, email) is sent from Elation to Heads Up when the user is auto-created by the integration
FAQs
How far back does historical data sync?
By default, we import 2 years of discrete lab result data. This can be configured to increased up to 10 years.
By default, we import 1 year of lab result PDF data. This can be configured to increased up to 2 years.
What if we need to disconnect the integration?
To stop syncing data for a specific patient, just remove the HeadsUp tag in Elation.
You can disconnect the entire integration at any time from Organization Settings. Previously synced data remains in Heads Up but stops updating.
Need Help?
If you have questions or need assistance setting up your Elation integration, contact us at support@headsuphealth.com, or use the chat icon (blue circle, bottom right in the app).
For Elation-specific API questions, contact Elation support at support@elationhealth.com.