> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.byblend.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Why did my new order merge into an existing one?

> Blend consolidates open orders for the same patient by default, so a patient gets one box instead of three. The response returns the original order with merged_into_existing: true. Pass force_new=true to prevent it.

When you create an order for a patient who already has an open order, Blend merges the new one into it. You receive the **existing** order in the response, with `"merged_into_existing": true` to confirm what happened. This is deliberate: it means a patient who orders three times in a morning gets one shipment rather than three.

An order is mergeable while it is in `received` or `paused` status, or is an `exception` (stuck) order created within the last 24 hours. Once it reaches `picked` or later, a new order is created instead.

## What you get back

```bash theme={null}
curl -X POST https://api.byblend.com/api/v1/orders \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer {access_token}" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "patient": { "external_id": "clinic-pt-4471" },
    "products": {
      "prescription": [{ "product_code": "HC-RAPA31", "quantity": 1 }]
    }
  }'
```

```json theme={null}
{
  "id": "0227d1e5-ba9a-42b5-8fe2-38882aa65708",
  "order_number": "ORD250312003548IAU4",
  "status": "received",
  "merged_into_existing": true
}
```

<Warning>
  The `id` and `order_number` in the response belong to the **original** order, not a new one. If your system assumes every create returns a distinct order, a merge will look like a duplicate ID. Always check `merged_into_existing`.
</Warning>

## Preventing a merge

Pass `force_new=true` as a querystring argument:

```bash theme={null}
curl -X POST "https://api.byblend.com/api/v1/orders?force_new=true" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer {access_token}" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{ "patient": { "external_id": "clinic-pt-4471" }, "products": { ... } }'
```

The same parameter works on the [composite endpoint](/guides/composite-creation).

Use it when the orders genuinely must stay separate — most commonly when a patient has asked for one order to go to a different address.

## What happens to shipping on a merge

Shipping details on the new request are **inherited by the existing order**:

* A new shipping address replaces the original one — the whole merged order goes to the new address.
* A new shipping preference (carrier or service level) replaces the original.

<Note>
  This is the reason to reach for `force_new=true` when a patient wants a separate delivery. Without it, a second order bound for a different address will silently redirect the first one too.
</Note>

## Which orders can be merged into

An order can be merged into while it is:

* in `received` status,
* in `paused` status, or
* an `exception` (stuck) order **created within the last 24 hours**.

The 24-hour window on stuck orders lets same-day prescriptions still ship together when a hold is released, while making sure a long-standing hold on one medication doesn't delay unrelated new prescriptions. Once an order reaches `picked` or later, it is locked and a new order is created for that patient instead.

See [Order Merging](/overview#order-merging) for the canonical description, and [order statuses](/guides/order-statuses) for what each stage means.

<Tip>
  Merging also happens for orders created in the Blend Dashboard, and for orders Blend creates automatically from inbound prescriptions. It is a property of the order pipeline, not of the API.
</Tip>

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Create an order" icon="prescription-bottle" href="/api-reference/orders/create-an-order">
    Accepts `force_new`
  </Card>

  <Card title="Composite creation" icon="layer-group" href="/api-reference/composite-creation/single-request-creation-of-a-prescription-and-order-and-patientprescriber">
    Also accepts `force_new`
  </Card>

  <Card title="Order merging reference" icon="code-merge" href="/overview#order-merging">
    Canonical rules in the overview
  </Card>

  <Card title="Get a patient's orders" icon="user" href="/api-reference/patients/get-a-patients-orders">
    See what's already open
  </Card>
</CardGroup>