Ordering Future Labs

Note: because the following procedure would not reliably print labs, we’ve changed to having Labs Visits checked in by the CMs on the morning of clinic and having their labs orders signed by the first attending that arrives. The procedure below is no longer used!

The below protocol is preserved here only for historical reference.

FOR FUTURE LABS and OTHER ORDERS:

1) Go to Epic → Patient Care → Addendum

2) Click on Addendum and enter pt MRN. If you are already viewing the patient’s chart, the name will appear as a Suggestion on the bottom of the pane. Click accept!

3) A list of possible Office Visits to Addend will appear. Choose the last Office Visit from EHHOP for the patient. It must be an Office Visit not a Student Note, etc. Click Accept.

NOTE: If there is no visible last Office Visit after you do the above, and the patient has been seen previously at EHHOP for a new patient or return visit, AND you see a previous Office Visit under Chart Review → Encounters, it means that the Encounter was not closed by the Attending. In this case, in order to add a labs order, you must open the Office Visit through the Schedule.

  • First, make sure you are logged into EHHOP department.
  • Second, click on Schedule → Find the date of the last Office Visit → Find your patient’s name (note that it is an Open Encounter) → Double click → Go to Dx and Orders through Visit Navigator → Place and pend order → Exit the encounter. You cannot close the Encounter as a student, only the attending can.

4) A new Addendum page will open for the patient. You may enter Orders as usual and pend them using the “Dx and Orders” tab.

Place the order and make sure that it is a future order. If you do not do this step, the order will be cancelled automatically.

To do this, under Status, change the lab from Normal → Future

You will then have to select a range of dates when the order is valid for. Enter the expected Labs Only date and then a Future date (either a few months, or I like to just do a whole year in advance) when the order expires.

5) After you have entered the orders for BOTH Rx and FUTURE LABS, click “Pend” (top right corner). Nothing will happen, and that’s fine.

6) Next, close the encounter. A yellow yield sign will pop up saying there are still orders that are unsigned. Ignore this (the Attending will sign in later and sign the orders).

7) A screen will then give you the option to Sign the Encounter.

8) Send an staff message in Epic to Dr. Meah, Dr. Thomas, and David Skovran letting them know that you pended an Rx to the last Office Visit (you must include the date of that Office Visit so they know which one to click on), with the patient’s chart linked to the message, and asking them to sign it.