Clinical Calculator Update

Due to the number of people that share the ‘clinical calculator’ available in PowerChart, we wanted to spread the word that the calculator control has been updated to reflect our standards of using the metric system for weight measurement.  In all equations where ‘lbs.’ were displaying as the default prompt, it has been changed to reflect ‘kg’.  Please note that with this change we also changed ‘cc’ to ‘ml’ for all equations where ‘cc’ were being used as part of the calculation.  If this impacts your staff, please share the information with them.  Thank you.

OLD:

 

NEW:

 

Update-CDS Drug Interactions

There will be a new look and additional functionality coming for drug-drug, drug-allergy, and duplicate drug interactions.  This new page will display all of the interactions for a given drug on one screen instead of multiple screens.  Medications currently on the patient’s profile that are triggering an interaction can be discontinued from the screen.  Additionally, interaction checking will no longer fire for hospital medications and those taken at home (if they aren’t continued in the hospital).  Interaction checking for discharge prescriptions will also only occur between the prescription and the patient’s home medications. 

 

 

Cool Stuff Coming Soon!

Visit-Level Health Plans (Insurance)

 A new mpage will be added to the Table of Contents that will provide you with the visit level health plan. You will see this information on any OPCLIN encounter from Tech or PNS.  For example: If the patient has Worker’s Compensation and Medicaid, it will show their primary insurance for that specific date of service.  This is GREAT NEWS for those of you always needing a quick way to find out what funding a patient currently has.  Enjoy!

Quality Measures

Starting October 1st you will notice a new component on your Inpatient Summary called Quality Measures.  The two Quality Measures we are currently monitoring via this electronic system are VTE and Stroke.  You can order required tests/medications from this component or document contraindications.  The component updates automatically as you order these items outside the component as well.  Nursing documentation of interventions and other items will also update the component. 

 

 

Some items can only be addressed by the physician such as contraindications to required interventions.  We ask that as you are reviewing your patient’s Inpatient Summary that if you see outstanding items, you help address them as appropriate.  Outstanding items will be under the ‘Incomplete’ column.  Further education on each component will be coming in October and November.

 Example:  Patient diagnosed with stroke is being discharged and you have decided not to discharge them on an antithrombotic.  You can click on the ‘Document’ under Contraindication and chart why it is not applicable and sign off the form.

 

Immunization Schedule in PowerChart

Updated Recommendations for Use of Meningococcal Conjugate Vaccines --- Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), 2010

 On October 27, 2010, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) approved updated recommendations for the use of quadrivalent (serogroups A, C, Y, and W-135) meningococcal conjugate vaccines (Menveo, Novartis; and Menactra, Sanofi Pasteur) in adolescents and persons at high risk for meningococcal disease. This report summarizes recommendations approved by ACIP.  The recommendation we are encorporating into PowerChart is a new alert for boosters of 16 year olds.  As stated by the ACIP, " routine vaccination of adolescents, preferably at age 11 or 12 years, with a booster dose at age 16 years".

Based on this guideline, it has been requested that the PowerChart system have an overdue alert for the 16 year olds, just as it already does with the 11 year olds.

We are looking to finish the construction of this new alert and turn it on Monday, March 25th.