On this post, we would like to spotlight a feature that is available in Epic’s Foundation Systems. We want to showcase this build as several different hospital systems have requested our consultants to build this functionality. Additionally, it shows how large of an impact a single column can have on the operations of an entire lab.
This touches on a unique aspect of the Foundation Systems, where the build instructions can allow for application beyond this specific use-case.
Background
When the Histology department is gathering all the created slides and stains to deliver to the pathologists, they need the ability to check that they have all pieces of the case before sending it all to the pathologist for interpretation.
Other LIS systems have checks at various points of the process to confirm completeness (eg. All 4 slides were created from a designated block), but with Beaker, you are limited by the activities used in the Histology Workflow (eg. Case Prep Work List and Tracking).
In order to address this, Epic has made available a column in the Tracking activity that will mark a green checkbox when all slides associated with a case has the tracking event of “Delivered.” This allows for quick and easy review of whether everything is accounted for at that moment in time.
Workflow
After all the slides are made and are being gathered, the tech should scan them into the Tracking activity to add a Delivered reason to each piece. As they are scanned in, the “Slide Tracked” column will show that the individual piece has been tracked. The “All Slides” column shows an X until all the pieces are tracked.
When the last piece has been scanned, the indicator will update for all the pieces, and the user knows they have all pieces in hand to deliver a complete case to the pathologists.
Build Considerations
You can find the build on Epic’s Galaxy, but here are some items to consider while doing your build:
- The rule used to check if a slide is delivered includes the container types of Slides, Immuno-histochemistry, and Frozen Section. In the event you have other slide containers you use, be sure to include them in the rule to check.
- If your organization uses another tracking event other than Delivered, please be sure to update your rule to reflect that.
Additional Applications
While this feature may seem esoteric, it has the capability of being utilized in areas outside of this build. Here are a few other applications this feature can be used for:
- While this column is used in the Tracking activity, you could apply the column in Reporting Workbench to do a comprehensive review of cases during a given timeframe.
- If there are any other containers on cases you would like to track similarly to this (such as block embedding), you can apply the same logic with different events
- This build is not just limited to AP, it can also be applied to other areas such as microbiology, where plate status can be used to determine if there is any plating that are not completed.
- Rule-based custom properties allow for increased flexibility beyond the usual master file items, scored-based rules, and even metrics.
The Foundation System is aptly named as a foundation is made to be built upon. It provides us with solid build steps that we can then build upon to create something that will address a need for our customers.
We at Honeydew Consulting rely on the Foundation System as a means to not only provide us with best practices, but familiarize ourselves with Epic’s most up to date build techniques so we can apply them to meet our customer’s needs.
If you would like to talk to us about how to apply this feature to your projects, please feel free to reach out to us at [email protected].