Labs: Best Practice for Ordering

With the impending closure of our lab, we have started to look at best practices for ordering labs and resulting them. This is a work in progress. Sandy Martin will be meeting with Laura and Pam to figure out best work flows.

I have looked at a number of different options for ordering labs. I believe the best option is to order from the lab section of My Plan.

The reason for this is that if that if you order from here, it shows up in Check Out. The Check Out staff can then make sure it is done in house or can task it to a Lab Group (we are setting up) saying that the patient will have it drawn at an outside lab. This Lab Group will then follow up to make sure the labs are drawn. If the labs are not drawn within two weeks they will task the provider.

The second reason to order the labs this way is because it will show up in Provider Test Action. PTA will allow you to result the labs and close the loop. If you order the labs from the Test Tube Labs site, the labs neither show up at Check Out or Provider Test Action (PTA).

Here are some screen shots

My Plan / Labs can be order from the top Lab tab
or from Labs under My Plan Lab Orders

If you click on the Lab tab at the top of My Plan, the lab template will open
Note: if lab is not displayed, click on "blue menu links"
i.e. chemistry, hematology, etc. to display more labs

Ordered labs show up in the Lab Order grid at the bottom of the page (status)

Labs ordered this way show up in Check Out
and a requisition can be printed from this area

These labs also show up in Provider Test Action (PTA) under Lab Orders
and can be resulted from here

Click on highlighted Lab Order in PTA
to open the result box
Click on "Received:", " Completed:" and "Interpretation"
in right upper corner to result the lab.
Save and Close

Resulted Lab shows up in PTA

Highlight the Lab of interest and click Add to Note below the grid
to drop it into Action Detail Notes.
From here you can Task it to someone to complete or
you can add a "My Phrase" saying that you contacted the family/sent letter/etc.