Okay, there's another way to do this, which might be even simpler:
I just noticed that when all charts are closed and you pop open the "Print Order/Requisition Slip" screen, every diagnosis in the patient's problem list appears in the little diagnosis screen at the bottom, including any diagnosis you have added to your current (incomplete) note.
So, after you have typed the orders you want in the top part of the form, you can copy the diagnoses from the bottom and paste them into the top -- voila! The lab tech will get an email containing the lab order and all current ICD-9 codes.
