Partner Practice Management Lab Module

PCC EHR includes features for ordering labs, tracking outstanding tasks, entering lab results, and contacting patients and families.

See the Create and Complete Orders section of PCC Learn to find out more.

If your practice does not use PCC EHR, Partner’s Lab program can help your office manage their labs and fulfill some clerical aspects of the CLIA regulations.

The Lab program in Partner displays a configurable list of lab tests. You can select a test, print out a Lab Order Form, and use the form to record test results. You can enter results, and then print a finished Lab Form for the patient’s paper chart.

Read below to learn about each step.

Labs and Orders in PCC EHR: The Partner lab module is replaced by the Orders functionality in PCC EHR. For more information, read Create and Complete Orders.

Contents

1 Run Lab and Get Started
2 Order a Lab and Enter Results
3 Lab History and Reporting
4 Lab Program Configuration

Run Lab and Get Started

You can run the lab program by typing “lab” at a command prompt. PCC Support can add lab to your Partner windows, as well.

After you run lab, you will be asked to find a patient record.

The main lab screen looks like this:

Press a function key to begin working on the patient’s labs.

F1 – Order Lab Work

Press F1 to order a new lab, choosing from a menu of lab tests.

F4 – Enter Lab Results

Press F4 to enter lab results for a previously ordered test.

F5 – Lab History

Press F5 to see a history of lab tests for this patient.

F6 – Specimen Label

Press F6 to print a specimen label.

F7 – Bounce to Sam

Press F7 to open the scheduler for this patient.

F8 – New Patient

Press F8 to find a new patient.

Order a Lab and Enter Results

After running lab and finding a patient, you can create a lab order, generate a lab form, and enter results.

Order Lab Work

Press F1 from the main lab screen to order lab work. Mark the desired tests with an X and then press F1 – Save and Print. The lab program will save an entry for your new labs and automatically print your customized Lab Order Forms.

To create the labs but avoid printing the forms, press F2 instead.

The Custom Lab Form

Lab Order Forms list basic patient information along with requested tests, and can be put in the patient chart for future reference. After you enter lab results, you can print an updated form, keeping the patient chart up-to-date.

Note: Each test is automatically assigned a unique acquisition id (AQU#) number for tracking purposes.

Enter Lab Results

Press F4 from the main lab screen to enter lab results.

This screen lists all outstanding lab requests for the selected patient. Acquisition numbers make it easy to match up items on this screen with test results. After entering the appropriate test result and any notes, press F1 to save your work.

Generating a Final Report: Upon saving completed test results, the Lab program automatically generates a final lab report. This shows all ordered tests along with test results and notes. It should be reviewed by the doctor and then stored in the patient’s chart.

Enter Lab Results for a Multi-Part Lab

Some labs, such as the Urine Dip Stick, will have multiple results because they are comprised of a series of separate tests: Leukocytes, Nitrite, Protein, PH, Blood, Specific Gravity, Ketones, Glucose.

The Lab program can easily group individual tests under one title, allowing your staff to select the Urine Dip Stick. The Lab Order Form can print specifics for all the individual tests involved.

Delete a Lab

From the main lab screen, press F4 to go to the “Enter Lab Results” screen. In the “NOTES” field for the lab you want to delete, enter the word “delete” and press F1 to save the revised ordered labs list.

The lab program will ask if you would like to reprint a revised Lab Order Form, and the lab will be removed from the patient’s records.

Lab History and Reporting

Press F5 from the main screen in lab to open the Lab History screen, where you can generate custom reports for the selected patient.

The Lab program also comes with a report generator, lablog, which allows you to monitor all of your ordered labwork. Reports include:

Daily Lab Log: Lists all labwork ordered on a particular day
Daily Culture Summary: Lists all cultures taken on a particular day
Outstanding Lab Orders: Lists all unresolved labwork items

Each of the above reports can be sorted by Acquisition ID number, patient, provider, or test name.

These reports help you manage your lab workload and make it easy to research, update, and document patient’s lab histories.

Daily Lab Log

Here is a sample Daily Lab Log, which details all lab tests requested for a specific day. The report includes any known test results:

DAILY LAB LOG FOR: 04/29/00                       Page 1
   DATE     AQU#   PATIENT                            TEST             PRV STATUS
   ______________________________________________________________________________
   04/29/00  000017  Duck, Dewey         (M 04/01/80)   Rapid Strep       *  DONE
   04/29/00  000018  Duck, Dewey         (M 04/01/80)   Throat Culture    *  DONE
   04/29/00  000019  Duck, Dewey         (M 04/01/80)   Urine Dip         K  DONE
   04/29/00  000020  Duck, Dewey         (M 04/01/80)   CBC               K  open
   ___________________________________________________________END OF REPORT_

Daily Culture Summary

Here is a sample Daily Culture Summary, which details all lab cultures taken for a specific day. The report includes any known test results:

DAILY CULTURE LOG FOR:                                     Page 1
        DATE    PATIENT                        PRV TEST             RESULTS
        AQU#  PARENT                           HOME PHONE       WORK PHONE
        ____________________________________________________________________________
        04/29/00  Duck, Dewe   (M 04/01/80)   *  Throat Culture   neg
        Duck, Donald                          H: 862-9438      W: 864-0747
        __________________________________________________________END OF REPORT_

Lab Program Configuration

The Lab Tests table in ted contains a list of all labwork items you can order in lab. They can be tests performed in-house, or tests that are sent out for processing. Test names, normal results, units, and similar information is entered for each item in this table. Before adding entries, we recommend you consider the following:

Plan out any lab test names, units and normal ranges your staff may order or perform.
For tests with multiple results, plan out names for each of the elements within that lab test. These will also have names, units and normal ranges for test results.
Identify which tests are done in-house and which ones go to an outside lab.
Confirm all of these desired lab tests appear in the Lab Tests table in ted. Each test a provider may request should have its own Test ID#. If there are multiple elements to a test, they should all share the same Test ID# and be given Sequence #’s. See the sample Urine Dip Stick entry in your Lab Test table as an example.

Once lab work items have been set up in ted, you finish configuring the program by answering a few questions in the Configuration Editor (ced). Under the topic “Lab Module” you will find questions relating to:

Which lab tests (both in-house and outside) should be displayed on the main ordering screen by default. You should customize these to suit your needs.
Where will lab find form letters to act as the Lab Order, Lab Results, and Lab History forms? The standard forms will already be in place so you will not have to modify these answers unless you decide to use other forms which you have customized.

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