|
|
|
Question:
In Epic, how far out is the "expiration date" for "normal" lab & imaging orders? In other words, when I mark a lab or imaging order as "Normal," how long before my patient has to come in for it? And what happens when a "normal" order "expires"? Since a "normal" doesn't expire until 365 days, why complicate our lives any more than they already are and just default all our orders to "normal"?
Answer:
Normal means done TODAY, to be done by end of business that day. If it is marked "normal," it doesn't expire for 30 days. Future orders need to be marked by the ordering doctor as to when, in the future, they are to be done, and there is an expiration date you can mark.
The main issue is that when we order a lab for now, and it doesn't get done, Epic will notify us that our order hasn't been carried out within that month time frame. This notice is a patient-safety trigger.
There are many times in primary care when we have a patient in front of us, and we want to recheck their glycohemoglobin, for example, in six months. This is the utility of "future."
In a perfect world, I agree with you. Every lab should have been defaulted to "normal" as most of the labs we order will be done within that 30-day time frame. I have gotten around that by taking all of the labs that I would order and put them in my preferences as "now." (Source: Lorne Bigley, MD, Epic physician champion, Oregon West)
Submit your question
|
Physician burnout in primary care has been a hot topic lately.
