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It would be nice if the Summary Sheet that we print out would include the date it was printed. I print out lists for home health, nursing home, the ER, etc. and sometimes these folks will end up with multiple lists and it would be good for them to know which was the most current.
Also, sometimes I get reports (e.g. a colonoscopy report that shows a polyp or diverticulosis) and I want to update the PMH, but I don't know any way to do that except wait for the next time the patient is in for an office visit and update the PMH field with the office visit.

This is a great idea!

V.

Idea number 1: Excellent idea, and should be pretty to easy to execute, right?

Idea number 2: I agree this is irritating, and it would be nice if there were a feature to deal with it, but in the meantime, there is a fairly satisfying workaround:

First, create a new encounter (the patient need not be present). Make the chief complaint read "HISTORY UPDATE", or possibly "COLONOSCOPY RESULTS REVIEWED".

Now, update the history to your hearts content. Add the colonoscopy and its results to the Past Surgical History. You could even dictate a little blurb into the HPI about receiving the report on the colonoscopy if you want, or dictate a little blurb in the plan about notifying the patient, and what kind of follow-up you might desire. You're basically just treating this like a Addendum.

When you have everything just right, just sign the chart, saving the encounter. Tell the computer that you don't want to add an ICD-9 code, and you don't want to charge for the visit. The history is updated!

How about a real AC addendum? One could even create their own templates in there for this too if I'm not mistaken, but I don't chart so I'm a bit weak on those matters. That way you are not adding extra "encounters" to your count. As AC becomes more of a PM program, I think we will all want to make sure that such things end up being tabulated in the right areas of data.

I think it was Wayne or Joe (was it both of you, who was it?) who were asking as I was to have a way to be able to track scheduled appointments verses charts completed so we could babysit our providers and make sure that we are getting all our visits out the door for payment. I think dividing things up by the proper type of visits or entries in the long run will be better for all offices in tracking their encounters and data. But hey I'm a practice manager and so I think that way... My daughter is getting sicker by the moment so let me run..... talk to ya all later...
Paul

I don't know if I said it, but it seems like something I would have said.

Wayne,
Wasn't it you??? We were discussing how our providers sometimes don't chart at time of encounter all the way and so we are constantly having to make sure we get all encounters for all visits and that we were asking to have a way in AC to track the posted, scheduled visits, verses encounters actually completed??? I even told you about my "notebook" system were I enter all encounters on the schedule and enter the charges next to the pt's initials after I have recieved and processed the invoice so I know that I have recieved each encounter for all visits...
Anyway, as a good PM program this is something us "behind every good doctor" type PM's, we are going to need. I like my notebook but this is something our PM program should be able to track for us. While looking around it seems that many of them actual do have this kind of a function. I just don't want to add encounters for what is really an addendum. Then it looks like the patient had a visit when we highlight them when really the doc just did a minor update to their chart as well.

Paul, I do remember this. Yep that was me. And yeah we don't want addendums to show up as encounters.

I haven't had a chance to really examine PM systems for this type of function. Do you know offhand the name of any of the "inexpensive" ones that do this or is it just the "big boys" like Logician and GE (didn't they buy Logician?) that do it.

I have a new method now. Since all charts not billed are in Vicky's mailbox, I just sign on as her and look in her mailbox to see what she hasn't done yet.