The Tests & Procedures encounter section can be found in the Objective section. This section mimics the stand alone “Due List” chart tab. The Tests & Procedures section displays items that are “due” so when a patient comes in, and the staff is working in an encounter, the clinician has visibility of items that the patient is due for, here in this encounter section. Note: These same items are also visible from the separate chart tab named Due List. For more information on the Due List stand alone chart tab, please see Due List guide.
If the patient is due for any tests, questionnaires, or procedures, they are listed in the summary of this Tests & Procedures section.
To see details of those pending tests or procedures on a patient’s “due list” shown here in this section, simply click on the title bar of that section Tests & Procedures to expand the contents.
The section expands to show a datavis of pending due list items in detail with order name, the due date, status, any applicable Health Surveillance panel it may be a part of, who ordered/triggered it, when it was ordered/triggered, etc. The View Details hyperlink is also an available option to see more granular details of an individual pending item or procedure.
Tests & Procedures Right Side Quick List Method
A banner or bookmark icon is located on the right side of the Tests & Procedures encounter section. This can be clicked to expand open to utilize the right side quick list functionality for the Tests & Procedures section.
Managing Tests & Procedures
Hovering over the tests & procedures list will display options to help manage each existing pending due list item.
Note: The My Settings Preference of “Show Dynamic List Options” controls on hover or as always.
If this setting is changed to “Always”, then all options in the encounter and/or other areas where icons are dynamic will display. This is typically discouraged and clients should be encouraged to use the hover.
Managing tests & procedures can also be managed in the detailed datavis by using the encounter section expand mode. Simply click on the grey title section area to expand open the tests & procedures encounter section.
Items/procedures/tests are pending due for the patient/employee. If the order item has a specific due date, the due date will also be visible. This will help you see what is due and if you want to go ahead and do those items on the patient today during the visit, or wait until a future visit closer to the due date. Note: any items (such as questionnaires being completed via the portal) are ‘in progress’ and therefore will not be shown in the tests & procedures encounter section. Written Opinions (RE order items) are also not shown in the tests & procedures encounter section. Written Opinions (RE order items) are shown in their own Recommendations encounter section.
To apply any of these pending items or any other pending procedure items to be performed on today’s encounter, one can quickly do that when the Tests & Procedures section is collapsed, using the right side quicklist method, or in expand datavis mode. The Add to Exam icon or button applies the pending item(s) to the encounter, to be performed, resulted, and completed within the encounter.
Once you’ve applied the specific pending item(s) or other pending procedure(s), to the encounter visit, it will refresh the encounter and embed those item(s) into the encounter as individual ‘encounter sections’ right after the Tests & Procedures section. They are now inserted as In Progress items and ready to be performed, resulted and completed on the patient/employee during the encounter visit.
Performing, Completing, and Resulting
Now it’s time to perform those tests/procedures that we indicated we would perform today. Any procedures (that we marked to perform today by clicking that add to exam button or icon on the selected pending order/due list items) will be automatically applied to the encounter with their own section titles named and shown under the Tests & Procedures section.
To complete and key in a result to a procedure or test item within the encounter, simply click the specific procedure’s grey title bar in the encounter section.
The individual test/procedure item will expand to open the section data fields to allow you to complete and type in results. If the pending due list item is a ‘required’ item by a Health Surveillance Panel for the chart, when the test/procedure is expanded to perform, one will see the pass/fail criteria option checkbox by default.
For more detailed information refer to Health Surveillance Panel Action Required for Certification guide.
Once you’ve entered in the data and resulted the specific Test & Procedure on the encounter, it is important to mark the applied test/procedure as Completed using the ✔ icon at the top right of the test/procedure applied encounter section. This will mark the order/procedure as “completed” and removes it from status of “In Progress”.
There will be another opportunity to mark the applied test/procedure as ‘completed’ when you go to close & archive the encounter. The system does not allow an encounter to be closed & archived with applied item/procedure sections still ‘in progress’. From the close & archive pop-up screen, one can mark it as ‘Completed’ using the same check ✔ icon.
Tests & Procedures - On Demand Add On via Picklist
Within the Tests & Procedures encounter section, you will see a picklist icon. This icon displays regardless if the section is collapsed, in right side quicklist mode, or if expanded in datavis mode.
When you click the picklist icon, it opens the default order picklist set within the Encounter Type configuration, or the order picklist that is set in your My Settings picklist, which typically is a picklist named In House Testing.
The In-House Testing picklist is configured to display choices of all the order items your practice can perform in-house and result. This can encompass various orders/items/procedures in a pickable list. If you need to add an additional test or procedure to do on the patient during today’s encounter visit (that’s not already shown on their pending “due list” in the Tests & Procedures section) the Picklist icon is where you go to add something to perform on their encounter. This is essentially on-demand In-House ordering and/or resulting.
Once you click on Add Tests and Procedures, and the order set picklist pops up, checkmark which testing items you need added to the current encounter to be performed. When done selecting, click the Add Procedures button at the top or bottom of this screen to apply the selected tests to the encounter to perform.
Any procedures/tests/items you checkmarked from the picklist, get applied to the encounter visit automatically and inserted as ‘in progress’ status. Checkmarking any procedures/tests/items in that In House Testing picklist signifies you will be performing them at today’s visit.
Work the individual applied sections to document results and mark it completed.
Tests & Procedures - On Demand Add On via Autocomplete or +
Within the Tests & Procedures section you can order additional items to be performed on-demand at today’s encounter visit via the right side quicklist + method or via the autocomplete field from the expanded datavis mode.
No matter which method, begin typing in the item/order/procedure/test you want to on-demand apply to today’s encounter visit. After the order item(s) are found using the autocomplete field, you click the ‘Save’ or ‘Add to Exam’ button. Note: the order auto-complete field shows all order items (except Written Opinion RE order types) that are programmed in your system (regardless of order type).
Cancel an Added to Exam In-Progress Item
When you have a specific test or procedure item applied to the encounter as in progress (via Add to Exam methods) and have that in progress procedure item expanded/open in your encounter to complete and document the results of that test, you will see an X icon which indicates Hide Section.
What this does (if X on the in-progress added to exam item section is clicked): It removes the applied In Progress item section from the encounter and will refresh the encounter outline. It then places that item back onto the due list (tests & procedures section) back as pending.
The X may be needed because perhaps you had marked an item as Add to Exam to be done at today’s visit, that indicates the item is in-progress to be performed, resulted & completed), but perhaps changed your mind, or the machine broke down and you realize it cannot perform it today. Using the X (hide section) on the applied in-progress item in the encounter, will remove it from the encounter visit to be performed & completed, and also places the item back up in the Tests & Procedures summary back as pending status.
Due List Portlet
Within the Summary dashboard chart tab, there is a portlet available named** Due List.** This portlet displays any pending due list items for the chart. These are not “orders” that were referred out to have performed, but these are pending due list items (tests/procedures) that need to either be ordered and referred out to an outside facility, or items that need performed in office and marked as completed or worked (such as declined, waived, etc). This list is managed in the Due List chart tab and/or from the Tests & Procedures section within encounters.
Clicking on the pencil icon (manage info icon) from the Due List portlet will take you directly into the Due List chart tab where you can manage due list items. This portlet on the Summary chart tab simply offers a quick overview of any pending due list items for the chart. For more information on the Due List portlet and Due List stand alone chart tab, please see Due List guide.