Home Forums Discussions Feedback and Recommendations Saving Messages to the Chart

I wish messages from the patient could be saved in the imported section and
I wish that we could add notes to the patient record without it generating another "line" on the vitals flowsheet.

Not sure what kind of messages you are trying to save. My office staff take a message and send it to me using the internal e-mail system. I can save it to their chart, reply to the staff, or type a note after talking to the patient and then save that to the chart.

Greg Phillips

I actually use the e-mail when I am talking to a pt - start the e-mail, type whatever I told them, etc and then save to chart without sending it to anyone. It works for me and is less steps than a new note, new addendum, etc.

I wish messages could be saved AND sent to a staffer. Correct me if I am wrong but it is one or the other. If I try and send a message then I cannot save it. If I save it I cannot send it to a staffer for action. So now I have to send it and rely on them remembring to save it.

Leslie

I do not believe you can do both - I personally have my staff do whatever action and always send back to me so I review that it was done, then I save it - leaves a paper trail that says I reviewed it.

Well, Leslie, if I understand your question, you get your wish. This can be done in most ways although one requires a famous workaround.

If you RECEIVE a message from anyone, then you can save, say no to delete, and send to anyone.
If you RECEIVE a message from anyone, you could alternatively, send to anyone, choose no to delete, and save to the chart.
However, if you initialize the message, then once sent, you can no longer save it unless they send it back.
The workaround: You write the message, send it to yourself, and then send it to someone, choose no to delete, and save it to the chart. Or, of course, you can save first; either way.

As an aside, my staff is instructed to pretty much NEVER delete a message. Their only options are to send it back to me, forward to another user or save it to the chart. They should NEVER delete it unless it is obvious. I also tell my staff that if they feel the message is mission critical and they need to send it to me or another staffer, they should say no to delete, and save a copy at that point just to protect themselves.

I agree with Steven, the only issue I have with that is the following:

If I send a message to my MA asking them to tell the parents that the lead level was normal, they generally do and then save it to the chart. Writing in the message:

Notified mom of normal lead level on 9/10/08, and then sending it back to me is just one more message I have to open.

Besides, the messages and the paper trail/audit needs to be cleaned up. It is really hard to follow the paper trail. I mean we still haven't got rid of the Re: Re: Re: Re: yet.

Bert and I have the same idease - I just don't see it as any big deal to save them after back from staff - I do literally dozens and dozens with all my labs, phone calls, scrip requests, etc. If you feel comfortable with your staff saving it to the chart that is fine, the one thing you will find if you do it yourself is that if you send a note to your staff person on Monday to make a call and they don't do it for a week and then send it back to you that might remind you to find out where the hold up is. I actually waste a stamp and mail many items to pt. just so that we don't spend days trying to call (work, out of town, etc). I have found that the minute it takes me to type a letter (use lots of templates) and print it to the desk where my staff uses a dymo labeler (with software from Bert) to address it to the pt. and mail works out great.

What I want to do is save instructions to my nurse regarding a patient to the import section rather than to the previous encounters section.

I use the work around mentioned above about saving messages. It would be nice to cc ourselves

Vicki,

Unless I am missing something, you can cc to yourself.

I don't know if I can help on the import section. It may be easier if you could tell me/us why you want to save it there rather than to past encounters.

Hello,

Don't like adding additional lines on the vitals flowsheet.
I wish I could save and cc at the same time. I have to cc myself and then save it.

Thanks for hte help. vr