Home Forums Discussions Problems Reopening an encouter

Due to dense scheduling and the patient flow in our office we often begin a patient's exam, posting to their chart and then need to have them wait a short time before the doctor finishes the encounter. In the mean time we need to open an encounter for the next patient.But doing that requires forwarding the current chart. Then in a few minutes when we need to continue with that first patient, we cannot write to the same encounter. We get a message saying that the chart is in someones mailbox and that it will open a new encounter without the previous postings. Is there a way to continue an interrupted encounter?

Not sure that I'm understanding you correctly, sorry if not.
If it's only for yourself, you just need to save it, then re-open it by double clicking it in the message list. If there is a way to reopen from the patient list, I have not found it.
If you are talking about handing a chart back and forth between users, like nurse to doctor then back to nurse, that is much more of a pain. Each person has to forward the chart to the person they think will be needing it next. You can always retrieve it if that person has not yet touched it. Otherwise, that person needs to forward it back to you. Leads to a lot of shouting down the hall, "hey, would you send Patient X's chart back to me" or messages in message box requesting same. The more expedient method is to share passwords, but that is a HIPAA no-no. Never-the-less, in small offices it is probably common.

Hi theory,

I think you are going to have to rewrite your question in explicit detail. I am also not understanding your question or workflow. We are close to what you are doing in that we triage a patient at times, my CMA forwards the patient to me, and it is in my inbox. I may have three or four charts in the inbox while three patients wait in the waiting room. I am working on one chart with a patient. Now, the part I don't understand is where you say the patient waits while the doctor finishes the encounter. What do you mean by that? To me, that means the doctor is finishing the note, in which case all is well. Or as we do are you saying the doctor is in the room with an encounter (please be more specific -- like the doctor is with a different patient or patient B -- if he/she is), then you simply forward the next patient's chart to that doctor. I don't know what you mean by "we need to continue with that first patient, we cannot write to the same encounter." Why would YOU need to write to that encounter. The doctor would. If he/she had already started that chart then he/she would hit CTRL + S and send it back to the inbox. You can do that over and over. If you are triaging the patient and send it to a room or doctor, you can retrieve it at any time, by going to your outbox. When it is in the doctor's inbox, it is in your outbox until the doctor does something with it.

I can tell you that my CMA will forward a chart to me. I will "forward" to my inbox by using CTRL + S, but that is the ONLY forwarding we have ever done with a chart in nine years. In fact, the only forwarding of a chart between two people is the CMA forwarding the chart to me. Never, ever back to her. Or to anyone.

What you are saying even though confusing is very doable. You just have to describe your workflow to us. And, my guess is you may need to adjust your workflow a bit.

Hi theory,

But, I think your real answer lies in 7.1 Download 9.1's Release Notes. It's actually the very first section.

I think, if I am understanding the question correctly, that whoever is rooming the patient can hit Ctrl-S to save the encounter to their inbox. Then room a second patient, Hit Ctrl-S again, to save the second encounter to their inbox. They can then reopen the first encounter from their inbox, edit it, and forward it to the provider. Not sure if this works for the "check in" button but it should if the "most recent encounter" tab is opened.

Good an answer as any. The key part is did you read the question correctly. Which is why we asked the OP to rephrase the question and be clearer. But, it's been four days.

Hi theory,

How did it go? Any help?