Home Forums Discussions Feedback and Recommendations Wishes that I am sure I wished before

I wish that entering codes in the assessment area could be done directly. Having to go to a dialog box or a drop down list is time consuming. I know most of the codes that I use daily. Having to go to a dialog box on the first time I enter it and having to go to a dialog box on subsequent visits adds extra time

I also wish that codes entered in the assessment area populated the past medical history as well as the problem list on the summary page. Having to remember to transfer them to the past medical history list is a bit tedious.

Yes, but aren't diagnoses different than PMH which is different from a problem list?

Exactly Bert. I wouldn't want "skin disease unspecified" or some other vague ICD9 term in the PMH (and also wouldn't want all those temporary issues like colds and sinus infections being added to the PMH) but it would be nice to be able to add them to PMH when desired.....but then that makes for more things to click off when trying to finish a note.

I wish I had more "skin disease unspecified" and colds to add to my list. Over 90% of my patients are diabetics with multiple comorbidities. Most of the things I want added to the list are proteinuria or ckd, diabetic peripheral neuropathy, etc.

Maybe the better wish is to be able to look at the problem list at the same time the note is open/the ablitlity to have more than one ac screen open at the same time.

Yes Vicki. It would be nice to see their chart with med/prob list while looking at/reviewing their labs. That would really speed up the time it takes to review new labs on a patient.

The problem list is easily viewed by the "Summary Sheet" tab on the chart. Though it is not a separate window, it is quickly tabbed to and from. I just find it hard to remember to "inactivate" all the URIs and other acute diagnoses.

RE: reviewing labs, I find that opening each new lab report in the default application is the best... for me, this opens the labs up in a separate Adobe window, and I can flip back to the AC imported items window to compare it to older reports, or to the Summary Sheet tab to see their problem list.

There is the drop down selection box for diagnosis codes that should have all previous diagnoses listed-- the one at the top of the assessment section. I often check there to remind myself of older issues I need to check on or discuss w/ patient.

Chris,
I did things that way before getting the lab interface, but it doesn't work that way now. When I go to view a lab now, it opens up a separate window for the lab interface and you cannot open any other windows or chart tabs until you close the lab interface window....which seems to take an unbearable amount of time. Overall, the lab interface has been nice but it seems really slow and has made lab review time more onerous.

David,
Yikes! Is that how it works with all lab interfaces? I'm supposed to have a Labcorp interface set up soon, but if what you're saying is true and is across the board, I'm not so sure I want it. Right now I have labs imported via UpDox, a few clicks of the mouse for the front desk staff member who is checking the faxes which are coming in as PDF files.

So the interface would actually only be saving the front desk time, make my inbox cleaner since lab results (at least ones from labs I'm interfaced with) will be in the "Lab" mailbox, but in the end really wasting more of my precious time. Is there a trial period for the interface? Can you turn it off? What have you found nice about the lab interface?

Scanning thru some older posts, it seems the slow response issues with the interface window is cleared up in version 4. I'm not using v4 yet, but sounds like I may be soon. Maybe I'll wait on the interface until then.

Thanks,
chris

I have the PAML interface - each lab (cbc,cmp,tsh,free T4, hgba1c, urine microalbumin) come in as separate e-mail so in above example I have to look at 6 different e-mails and sign them off with only one having a letter or note to the pt. It is really not handy to have to remember each of them, before I get to the letter and then can only look at one lab while doing the letter. Is okay if your note is that the "labs are okay" or "your lipids are out of range - make an appt", but not great when you actually write a letter with numbers on them.

I do it because I am the big proponent of electronic labs, EMR's etc. in our little town, but I am hoping for an improvement.

P.S. I am using 4.0.45 and this still happens.

Chris,

Unlike Steven's lab interface, mine seems to group the labs together for an individual patient. On my setup, I do need to tell AC to import the labs (it is not automatic). It then imports the labs from the Lab and puts it in the appropriate patient's chart and sends an e-mail to my box. As Steven says, if it is an easy sign off, then it can be quick. But, I also usually write comments, then copy that comment to my nurse who then notifies the patient about their lab with my comments. SO...it follows the same way I would have done things on paper but it slower because of opening the windows and because I am slow at typing!

The advantages of the interface include getting the labs to the right chart(we have had scanning errors in our office), ability to compare and graph prior labs(if they are in the interface database, if not you are left opening and closing windows) and I think it is easier to search thru old labs on the interface because of the labeling (there is only so much space on the description of imported items so a scanned lab may have info in it you need but you won't know until you open it and look).

I think you can simply turn the interface on or off at your discretion from the Admin section on AC (once the link is enabled). Overall, I will keep it and I think it will get better as there is more old data in the lab interface but it has been annoying at times because of the speed issue.

David,

What lab interface do you have?

Check out www.amazingcharts.com/interfaces for a complete list.

Local lab in Washington, Skagit Pathology aka MDL.