Create Lab Orders

Overview

Avatar currently supports the ability to setup an Internal Lab Interface using the Avatar HL7 Module. The HL7 messages get generated when orders are created in Avatar Order Entry, either via the Client Profile/Physicians Order form or the OE Console. An Internal Lab is one in which the lab is located at the Facility location. 

New functionality has been introduced to support sending electronic lab orders to External Lab Vendors. This is supported using the Avatar OE Console and the CareFabric Module. Data filed within the OE Console on a Lab order is sent to the Cloud and an HL7 Message is created via Careconnect to be sent to the external Lab. Other features include the ability to support a Lab Compendium in the cloud that can be called into Avatar. The main purpose is to file the Lab specific order code at the time of order creation. In addition, the compendium can have associated Ask at Order Entry (AOE) questions that can be automatically presented to the Ordering Physician at the time of Lab Order creation. The Lab Order code and AOE questions and answers will all be included in the HL7 message outbound via CareConnect. 

Prerequisites

Order Code Mapping to Lab Codes/AOEs

Set up order codes through the Order Code Setup form. This includes mapping all relevant codes to their associated compendium codes through the External Lab Definition grid. Any AOEs associated to the compendium order code will be saved in Avatar to be automatically presented to the Ordering Physician at the time of creating a Lab Order in the OE Console.

Steps

1. Within the OE Console, select the lab order (single or group).
2. Fill out appropriate details for the order, including: 
   • Collection priority
   • Frequency
   • External Lab Vendor Destination
     Only displays if the selected order code has a lab defined in the External Lab Definition grid.
   • Communication Method
     All external lab orders need to be marked as Electronic labs.
   • Specimen Type
   • Specimen Collection
   • Diagnosis
   • Start Date
   • Stop Date
   • Instructions
     
3. Click Send to Scratchpad.
4. If the order code requires any Ask at Order Entry questions, the AOE Questions dialog launches from the console. Provide answers for each of the questions and click Save.
   
5. When finished adding orders, click Sign to finalize and save the order.
   • If no specimen collection is needed, or will be collected by the lab vendor staff, the order will be sent to CareConnect for transmission.
   • If the order code requires a specimen collection to be done by the facility, the order will be withheld from CareConnect, and sent to eMAR.
     1. On the Avatar eMAR screen, the order will appear on the Lab Orders section.
     2. Selecting this order will launch the Specimen Collection screen.
     3. Once collection is complete, the order status is reflected on the OE Console.

Lab Results Inbound

Once the lab has processed and completed the lab order, results are compiled and sent to Avatar via HL7. These results will be routed through CareConnect and available to Avatar for automatic import.

If myAvatar is configured, notifications can be sent to the ordering practitioner when a result is received. This can be configured through Notifications Setup. Any result that does not match to a client in Avatar will be available in the Results Reconciliation form to make a manual match. Results can be viewed using the View Results form, Lab Results widget, or the Review Results form. The ordering practitioner can capture that they have reviewed the results for the client within the Review Results form.

SQL Tables for Lab Orders

• OrderEntry.external_lab_order_code

• OrderEntry.history_client_order_lab

• OrderEntry.aoe_questions

• OrderEntry.aoe_answers

• OrderEntry.order_code_aoe_question