One of the benefits of eDOCSNL membership is the electronic delivery of clinical results. Usually, when you go-live on EMR (Electronic Medical Record) your paper results delivery would be automatically turned off. Currently this applies only to lab results and comes with several considerations outlined below. If you notice post go-live that your lab results delivery on paper does not change, please reach out to the program at info@edocsnl.ca. There are circumstances wherein turning off paper delivery at EMR go-live is not appropriate, we are happy to discuss this with you during your expression of interest call and/or clinical needs assessment.
As of December 2, 2019, patient results for select reports, already distributed electronically to your EMR, will no longer be mailed on paper to eDOCSNL providers. From this date, these select results will only be received electronically through the EMR.
Laboratory results are the first category of results affected by this change. Work is currently progressing towards turning off paper Diagnostic Imaging results.
This new process will not eliminate the distribution of all paper lab results being sent to clinics as not all patient results are currently distributed to EMRs electronically.
The following is a list of lab results that will continue to be mailed and are not delivered electronically to the Med Access EMR:
- Lab prefixes for Molecular Genetics, Forensics and Autopsies.
- Scanned lab reports. However any referred in reports that are entered into Lab Meditech via E/E routines and verified will transmit.
- Unreceived samples (this includes the auto-cancellation of unreceived samples).
- Patients/specimens entered in the Lab Facility (used for QC, non-lab specimens and specific confidential patients).
- Corrected Laboratory/Micro/BBK errors (all patient results must first be re-verified).
- Corrected registration errors.
As part of the initiative to turn off paper lab result delivery, there are a number of scenarios to keep in mind and workflows that now become of paramount importance. These are necessitated by the lack of the paper fail-safe.
Check your paper results envelope:
There are known gaps between what is delivered electronically and what is delivered on paper. With the choice to move to electronic result delivery only, the results that currently are only delivered on paper will continue to be delivered by this method. This means that these results will ONLY be delivered by paper and so reviewing these results on paper HAS to be done.
Misdirected electronic results:
Occasionally you may receive results in their EMR that pertain to patients that don’t belong in your EMR. With the distribution of paper results ceasing, you will no longer be able to rely on the paper delivery of the result to the intended recipient. You will find the recommended procedure for dealing with misdirected results here. It is now CRITICAL that this procedure be followed for every misdirected result.
EMR users choosing not to review their electronic results:
The RHAs have decided that, in general, paper results will no longer be distributed to EMR physicians if you have a primary eresults subscription, regardless of the request. If you are an EMR physician who has only been managing results on paper, while allowing electronic result tasks to go un-reviewed, you will now find that there is no paper back-up and you must review your electronic results.
Locum ordering workflow:
It is important to emphasize to locums that they need to CC the family doctor on all ordered labs/investigations. The EMR mnemonic on the requisition is sometimes missed at the registration desk and the result will then only find its way back to the clinic if the Family Doctor’s name is on it.