Hi Bill, I use Excell for a single "Flow Sheet" which I have loaded on the server as the blank form, and I retrieve the blank for any patient I want to use it for. It has the usual 3 sheets in the form for Excell so I laid out the first page as a diabetic flow sheet with all of the criteria that "LUMETRA" uses when they review a chart. (The local Medicare reviewer.) I don't use most of those topics, but I felt that having those ready might be handy.
On the second page I have set up a simple flow sheet for warfarin which uses Excell to tally the dose and calculate the average daily dose in a line (the week). This makes a good tool for following the results of changes in the dose.
The third page I use for whatever might come up, to follow sed rate or other things. (But lipid results and treatment and creatinine are on the LUMETRA / Diabetic page so I keep them there.)
To the point: I have the blank on the server, stored in a folder labeled imported items with the title CMGDflowsheet.
In the patients chart under "Imported Items" click 'Import - File - Browse' and find the server on the network and the file labeled "imported items" and then "CMGDflowsheet". Click on it and store it in "Other" labeled, "Flowsheet - warfarin" or "Flowsheet - Diabetes"
Then from the patients imported items, go to 'Other' and RIGHT click on the flow sheet. Select 'Open with the default program'. THIS WILL OPEN EXCELL AND A COPY OF THE BLANK FLOW SHEET. The first time I open it, I add all the identifiers to the flow sheet, Patients full name, Date of Birth and Amazing Charts number.
When I am finished working with it, I simply EXIT Excell. It will ask "do you want to save the changes? Say 'yes'! IT IS ALREADY RENAMED BY AC AS AN AC FILE, so your blank is unchanged. The next time you open AC you can again Open the flow sheet and the changes will appear as you left them, BUT THIS IS STILL A WORKING SPREAD SHEET and totals will change etc as you continue to work the pages.
NOW THE PROBLEMS. #1 you can't keep a part of your medical record that is subject to changes that are not time and date stamped to keep the record pristine. IMHO this flow sheet is like the scrap of paper we have all kept loose in the chart and is a 'work sheet' and is IMHO NOT a part of the medical record. That's my story and I am sticking to it. This is ONLY true if EVERY single thing on the flow sheet appears else where in the chart, as mine does. The lab results, changes in Rx and conversations with the patient are ALL recorded in the regular parts of the chart. The flow sheet is NOT documentation, it is only an organizer that saves me time in recalling where we have been.
#2 CCHIT is not likely to allow this. I DO NOT know it this is still going to work on version 5 (CCHIT certified) but I doubt it, so don't get to deep into this. My anticipated work around will be to label the page IN EXCELL with the AC number, then recall it from EXCELL, use it, send it to the FAX writer and import the printed copy to AC, and save the changes in EXCELL. That will be cumbersome, but still lets me use my Coumadin counter which I really like.
#3 ah heck, this post is so long nobody will still be reading it by #3.
