Summary of updates and changes within eStar
Included below is a summary of some of the largest changes within eStar over the last several days:
Clean-up of Lab Results in eStar InBaskets
On March 19, all normal lab results older than 30 days that have not been marked as reviewed by the ordering clinician were automatically removed from the InBasket. This “clean-up” was implemented to help address the large overall volume of InBasket messages throughout the Medical Center. Moreover, reducing message volume will help clinicians focus on the most important and most current messages within their InBaskets.
Normal lab results will remain as part of the patient’s medical record and will be visible there. Patients with My Health at Vanderbilt accounts will have already received notice of normal lab results via the MHaV portal.
This clean-up will be ongoing, and any normal lab results older than 30 days that have not been marked as reviewed will be removed on a monthly basis. Clinicians should continue to track messages in their InBaskets and mark as reviewed any new normal lab results.
Update to eStar Medication Lists
Before March 20, eStar would auto-remove medications from a patient’s current medication list one day after expiration, resulting in the unintentional removal of some critical medications for treatment of chronic conditions. eStar also displayed medications that were discontinued from other patient encounters/appointments, which cluttered medication lists and made it difficult for clinicians and staff to see current medications.
Beginning March 20, expired medications will remain longer on the patient’s medication list and discontinued medications from other encounters will no longer be visible on the current medication list.
- Changes to expired medications include:
- Expired medications will be marked as such
- Most medications will remain visible for one (1) year after expiration
- Medications listed as “taking long-term” will remain visible for two (2) years after expiration
- Changes to discontinued medications include:
- Discontinued medications from other encounters will be removed immediately after discontinuation (will no longer see medications discontinued previous day)
- Discontinued medications from same encounters will show as strikethrough
- A comprehensive list of medications (current, expired and discontinued) is always available in patient’s Med History
Clinicians should remember when prescribing chronic medications to mark the medication as “long-term” and set the duration to one year. This will help these critical medications remain on the list for two years after expiration.
Changes to Clinic Check-In Workflows and Tools
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Demographic and Recall Form Removal |
In an effort to increase check-in efficiency and speed to the Check In process, several forms have been removed from the Check In activity. The Demographics and Recall forms will NO LONGER appear on the Check In form navigator.
If updates to patient demographics are needed or if a Recall is needing to be set, users will need to access those by using the Reg and New Recall icons on the Check In toolbar. Reference the “Updates to Check In Activity” Tip Sheet for more information. |
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Specialty Billing Flag |
When scheduling patients, a Specialty Billing Flag may be needed to ensure that no charges are sent to the patient (e.g., the patient is a Shade Tree or Siloam patient). Reference the “Specialty Billing Flags” Tip Sheet to successfully apply a Specialty Billing Flag. |
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Family Switch |
During a telephone encounter, users can quickly jump to another family member’s information. This is particularly useful for departments that see siblings or spouses. Reference the “Family Switch” tip sheet for the step by step process. |
Changing Provider in a Telephone Encounter
While using a telephone encounter, users now have the option to change the provider or department associated with the encounter. This button is located in the upper right-hand corner of the Call Intake screen. Users within the Access Center will especially appreciate this update, as they typically use generic providers to open the encounter until more information can be obtained from the patient.
Additional Changes
The team has deployed additional changes as indicated below. Tip Sheets for all of these are available via the Learning Home Dashboard:
- Users can now view vital signs in one centralized location
- Medication order report now shows most recent administration at the top
- Chart review allows for quick filter for labs in process
- Clinical communication note type is now known as “clinical update”
- No longer need to leave the Discharge Navigator to fill in details for a School/Work Excuse in the post-op discharge setting