Steven,
Thank you for your thoughts and ideas.
Please see my responses below in bold Blue:
I do not know of any interfaces which are bidrectional in AC although I am not familiar with all of them. I do not find 4Medica as an available interface under AC's available interfaces - does it go by a different name ?
I think 4Medica is the only name I've seen it under.
True, I dont see it listed either, but the system currently has an interface that allows Amazing Charts to push patient demographics into 4medica.
If you have a fax machine you can fax it to 4medica, but if your company requires you to use their req or log in and enter electronically you may just have double entry.
Thankfully, Our Lab doesn't require us to use their requisitions, but they do require us to provide some form of order/requisition, as a result faxing to would be redundant.
Point of Clarification: 4medica isnt a laboratory, it's web based SaaS.
It's basically a paperless electronic requisitioning system use by IOP's and clinic staff to create electronic requisitions from the providers paper orders.
However If the provider, or their AC system enters the requested tests directly into 4medica, then the electronic requisition serves as the legal order/requisition (without additional paper orders)
The IOP then uses it to document the fasting times, last dose of medication, date/time of collection and then creates/prints the paper requisition/order with labels for the specimens.
The IOP then electronically "Sends" the requistion and the 4medica system uploads it to the Laboratory Organization's LIS (Laboratory Information System).
The IOP and clinic staff can also use it to see preliminary results as requested by the provider.
You can send the order to your IOP by AC e-mail if they have access to AC at their location and they can enter the order without you generating paper.
True, this could be done, in fact this is what we currently do, but its a duplication of effort, which is what we are trying to move away from. Currently the Provider orders in AC and sends it via AC e-mail, and the IOP prints it out and enters it into the 4medica system.
FYI:
Anything entered by the IOP (Lab employee) requires a paper hard copy to attach to the 4medica requisition.
However, if an clinic employee enters the tests into the requisitioning system, the original paper order is not required, just the requisition paperwork that accompanies the specimens.
Lab is not able to display both AC and 4medica on simultaneously on the same screen. and in the process of switching between (takes up to 15 seconds each switch-over), a large opportunity for order entry errors occurs.
What would be Ideal:
1. Allow the providers to order in Amazing Charts as they currently do.
(They could order directly into 4medica, but adding steps and systems to providers workflow is never a good plan)
2. Amazing Charts could send this through some kind of interface to 4medica.
3. When the patient presents at the clinic lab draw site, (or off site PSC), the IOP/phlebotomist could bring up the requisition and proceed with collection.
Advantages:
A. Providers can continue to order laboratory test via their current workflow. (No new systems or steps)
B. Provider orders are less susceptible to order entry errors via vague nomenclature, typo's ala printed orders.
C. Patient can be drawn anywhere the 4medica system is available. (Lab patient service centers (PSC) or IOP draw sites.
D. No paper is generated until the 4medica requisition with labels is printed just before specimen collection.
It just needs some imagineering by savvy software wizards.
I still think there is a way to do this with current Amazing Charts and 4medica software.
But now that I've thought and talked all this through, it would appear that if Amazing Charts created its own Requisitioning
module for use by IOP's and Clinic staff, it would all be taken care of by Amazing Charts within the program.
Now that would be a hoot.
I guess I better copy this to the wish list section of this blog.
Thanks again for your input.
Riz
