IN a previous burst of enthusiasm and good will, a AC user survey was conducted in this very forum, asking for and tallying most requested suggestions (if I recall, an improved letter writer was #1 and happily, that did come to fruition.)
I have previously written AC team members with suggestions, but without much result.
But . . if you promise not to accuse me of suffering amnestic psychosis, here are a few of my top suggestions:
1. CLEANED UP ALLERGIES (lower left).Allergies are in a bold and easier to read bigger font, with less emphasis on who documented the allergy and more on the important allergy itself.
Consider making actual medical allergies fonts in red, while "no known allergies" is fonted in green.
2. DIAGNOSTIC/THERAPEUTIC TRIAL - TAB (this is a new tab placed next in row of tabs on the far right top of the Most Recent Encounter screen - the last tab currently in that row is "confidential" - but there is space next to that tab ) This tab doesn't exist now, but would be easily accessible repository for all sorts of frequently encountered clinical data including patient drug experiences ("Topamax made her dizzy", or "trial of Imitrex-no help" also frequently referred to laboratory values could be placed here such as MRI result in the evaluation of a headache as well as other miscellaneous clinical notes such as "began dialysis February 10, 2012". This field (similar to past medical history on the left) would be addressable in between encounters (ie you could add to it) without starting a new encounter and would always remained constant
3. MEANINGFUL PROBLEM LIST ( (MY FAVORITE SUGGESTION!! ) An improved and enlarged problem list would allow for annotations to be placed next to the ICD diagnoses to jog the provider's memory on specifics of of each diagnosis. (ie "Dizziness ICD 780.4" becomes --> Dizziness ICD 780.4 - nonspecific since hit head on door frame Feb 2014"
The actual problem list field would also be enlarged so the entire problem list which could now be reviewed in its entirety during the patient encounter - (for many of us, the problem list is the map to guide us through a patient encounter.) I've actually designed such a "Most Recent Encounter" screen to obtain the extra "real estate" for the enlarged problem list by changing "Search Dx ICD9" from a full field, to a button (circled in green) to the right (anyone interested in seeing the slightly redesigned screen, feel free to PM me)
4. CUSTOMIZE-ABLE STORABLE PRESCRIPTIONS:
This improvement allows a practitioner to formulate, name, permanently store and quickly retrieve custom prescriptions for re-use on multiple occasions. The title for each customized Rx can be accessed from a window on the right (see diagram)
For example, a practitioner might have five different custom prescriptions for prednisone,including , "Prednisone 10mg -Drug allergy" , Prednisone 10mg - Cluster Headache Protocol" "Prednisone10 mg - Acute Asthma", etc . . . .
According to New Crop The capability for such an improvement exists. (again, anyone interested in seeing the slightly redesigned screen, feel free to PM me)
(again, I have JPEGS of screenshots incorporating these ideas if anyone is interested.)
Bruce Morgenstern, MD (Neurology)
Denver, CO
