No I started with Version 5.
Some of the things you allude to are part of the whole "flow" that I have had to learn in the EHR process, and is part of the challenge I have had to face. Let's say I am in progress note. First, I make sure the diagnoses are in. I would type "aldoster" in the "search DX" box, and I get about 4 choices. Now, like Leslie, I am not going to make myself crazy trying to figure out which hundredth of a code number to use; if it is not obvious, I pick one that is close and go with that. We have that luxury with no managed care, etc. I may not put all of them in, but enough to reasonably justify what I know is coming.
Then I hit Orders-> Labs. As I mentioned in previous posts, we use numbers before the name of the lab test to group the tests into understandable groups. Our group 3 is endocrine. 3.1 is TSH, 3.2 is free T4, etc. Sometimes one isn't there, and I do the "quick add" that puts it alphabetically at the bottom, and I'll rename it later when I have time. Then, like you, I hit "print orders". The printer is near the nurse's station, so they usually pick it up and clip it to the door of the exam room I'm in. If they're busy, I'll get it off the printer when I come out of the room. No more filling out Quest forms.
Imaging is same way. The common ones are numbered, to bring them close to the top to find easily. They could be grouped if appropriate.
Under Nursing we have our vaccines under vaccinations and I send the order to the nurse. The weak link here is that there is no notification currently of a new message, so the nurses have to refresh the messages fairly frequently. Hopefully this is going to get fixed. Under "Nursing->General we have things like EKG, colonoscopy and other things. Likewise, the order is sent.
Referrals I do later; most of our consultants want to see the letter and note before they will schedule anyway, and it gives me time to do a coherent (if somewhat ugly) letter.
Anyway, as I said, this is actually the one part of the EHR that I feel saves me time.
