Import lab PDFs into getbased

getbased can read lab reports from virtually any provider worldwide. Use the header import button or drop a file onto the app. The AI extracts results, maps them to known biomarkers, and shows you a preview before saving anything. Personal information is stripped before the file reaches your AI provider.

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Before you start

You need an AI provider configured in Settings → AI. Manual lab entry, JSON import, DNA import, charts, comparisons, and correlations do not require AI, but PDF and image lab import do.

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Import a report

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Pre-flight checks

Before analysis begins, getbased runs two automatic checks:

• Model mismatch — if you have changed your AI model since your last import, a warning explains that different models may assign different internal keys to the same marker. You can continue or switch back to your previous model.
• PII scan — a notification confirms that personal information such as name, address, date of birth, ID numbers, email, and phone will be stripped before the file is sent to your AI provider.

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Understanding the import preview

The preview table shows each result the AI found, the value, the lab’s reference range, and how it was mapped. Each row has one of three status colors:

• Green — Matched: the marker was recognized and mapped to a known biomarker, such as glucose, TSH, or ferritin.
• Blue — New: the marker is not in the built-in list. getbased creates it as a custom marker with an AI-suggested name, unit, and reference range.
• Yellow — Unmatched: the AI found a result but could not confidently map it. Review these rows manually before confirming.

If something looks wrong, dismiss the import and try again. Nothing is saved until you click Confirm.

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Reference range adoption

When the reference ranges on your report differ from getbased’s stored ranges, a toggle appears below the preview table: “Update reference ranges from this report (N markers)”. This is checked by default. Accepting it saves the lab’s own ranges as per-marker overrides.

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Unit normalization

Common unit differences are normalized automatically. For example, enzymes reported as IU/L are mapped to U/L. The marker detail modal can also show alternate units when Alternate Units is enabled in Settings → Display.

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Batch import

To import multiple reports at once, select or drag multiple files. getbased processes them one at a time and shows the preview for each file in sequence. A counter tells you which file you are on. For each file you can Confirm to save or Skip to discard and move on. If a file fails due to a network error, getbased retries it once automatically before offering the option to skip.

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Per-file import history

Confirmed AI imports are stored as individual import records in Settings → Data. This matters when several reports share the same collection date: the live lab entry still shows one current value per marker/date, but each source file remains reviewable. From Settings → Data you can:

• click Review & Edit to reopen the saved import preview without paying for another AI parse;
• edit values, units, mappings, or excluded rows, then re-import the corrected snapshot;
• click Delete to remove only the markers owned by that import snapshot while preserving unrelated same-day data.

Reports imported before per-file storage existed were saved only as date-based lab entries. To make an old report individually reviewable, import that report again.

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Scanned PDFs and images

Most lab PDFs contain selectable text. If your PDF is a scanned image, getbased detects this and switches to image mode, rendering pages for the AI to read visually. You can also import lab reports saved as photos or screenshots directly. JPG, PNG, and WebP files go through the same image pipeline as scanned PDFs.

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Specialty lab detection

getbased automatically detects non-blood tests in your PDF, including OAT, DEXA, fatty acid panels, Metabolomix+, and more. The AI identifies the test type and routes markers through the specialty pipeline, using the reference ranges from your report rather than built-in defaults. See Import specialty lab panels for details.

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Privacy during import

Your file is processed locally first. Personal information is stripped before anything is sent to your AI provider. See Privacy for full details on PII obfuscation.

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What gets extracted

getbased tracks 287+ built-in biomarkers across standard categories, plus unlimited custom markers. Common areas include:

• Biochemistry — glucose, liver enzymes, kidney markers, electrolytes
• Hormones — testosterone, estradiol, cortisol, DHEA, insulin
• Lipids — cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, HDL, ratios
• Hematology — CBC, red and white cell indices
• Thyroid — TSH, T3, T4, antibodies
• Body Composition — body fat percentage, lean mass, visceral fat from DEXA scans
• Bone Density — BMD, T-scores, Z-scores from DEXA scans

Markers not in the built-in schema are created automatically as custom markers and tracked alongside built-in markers.

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Common questions

Can I import the same PDF twice? If you import a report for a date that already has data, the report is saved as its own import record and the live lab entry is merged by marker/date. When two same-day reports contain the same marker, the newest confirmed value becomes the live value, while the older file remains in import history so you can review or restore it deliberately. What about below-detection-limit values like <0.5? These are imported at the detection limit value itself (<0.5 becomes 0.5). The data point is preserved and shows that the marker was tested. Can I undo an import? Yes, for imports saved with per-file history. Open Settings → Data, find the imported report, then use Review & Edit to correct it or Delete to remove that report’s imported markers. For older date-only imports, restore from an automatic snapshot or JSON backup if the import created bad data.