scroll-arrow
2024112213:22:12

Enhancing Laboratory Efficiency: Emergency Sample Priority Listing 

Published by: Mohammed Siddiq

In the fast-paced environment of clinical laboratories, efficient workflow management is critical for ensuring timely and accurate test results. Recognizing the challenges faced by laboratory professionals, we’ve introduced two robust features—Emergency Sample Priority Listing and Mark as Not Performed—designed to streamline processes, prioritize patient care, and manage exceptions effectively.

1. Emergency Sample Priority Listing

In critical medical situations, every second counts. Certain patient samples may require immediate attention due to the urgency of the patient's medical condition or specific requirements. To address this, our laboratory model includes the Emergency Sample Priority Listing feature, enabling laboratories to process and dispatch samples on a priority basis.

How It Works:

  • Billing Stage Integration: The emergency sample process begins at the billing screen. When creating a bill, the billing user can flag a sample as "Emergency" using the Emergency Sample Action button.
  • Defining Emergency Requirements: The user can: Specify the investigations/tests to be prioritized. Set an emergency turnaround time (TAT) to ensure the tests are processed and results dispatched within a defined timeframe. Provide a reason for the emergency, ensuring clarity and accountability.
  • Lab Order Screen Priority: Once marked as an emergency, the sample is automatically displayed at the top of the Lab Order Screen, tagged as "Emergency." The reason for the priority is prominently displayed to assist lab technicians and pathologists in recognizing and acting on the urgency.
Benefits:

  • Improved Patient Care: Ensures that critical tests are processed and results are delivered promptly, aiding in faster medical intervention.
  • Streamlined Workflow: Lab professionals can quickly identify and prioritize emergency samples without disrupting regular processes.
  • Transparency: Clear documentation of emergency reasons enhances accountability and communication between billing and lab teams.
By leveraging this feature, laboratories can ensure that life-critical tests receive the attention they deserve, significantly improving patient outcomes.

2. Mark as Not Performed

Not all test orders proceed as planned. There are instances where patients may fail to provide required samples or the submitted samples are inadequate for testing. To handle such scenarios effectively, our system incorporates the Mark as Not Performed feature, allowing laboratories to manage unprocessed investigations seamlessly.

How It Works:

  • Handling Unprovided or Inadequate Samples: When a patient fails to provide a sample (e.g., a urine sample in a health package) or submits an inadequate sample, the investigation order remains in the lab order screen.
  • Marking as Not Performed: Lab technicians can: Use the Mark as Not Performed option to indicate that the test is not processed. Define a reason for marking the test as not performed, such as "Sample not provided" or "Sample inadequate."
  • Moving to Not Performed Order Screen: Once marked, the test is removed from the active lab order screen and shifted to the Not Performed Order Screen for record-keeping.
  • Reverting the Status: If the patient provides the sample later or resolves the issue, the test can be reverted from the Not Performed Order Screen back to active processing, ensuring flexibility in managing lab orders.
Benefits:

  • Operational Efficiency: Keeps the active lab order screen clutter-free, allowing lab staff to focus on actionable tasks.
  • Accurate Record Management: Ensures that every unprocessed investigation is documented with a reason, maintaining transparency.
  • Reusability: Provides an easy way to reactivate investigations when the necessary samples are obtained, reducing redundancy.
By effectively managing exceptions, the Mark as Not Performed feature enhances workflow clarity and ensures smooth laboratory operations.

Why These Features Matter

Together, the Emergency Sample Priority Listing and Mark as Not Performed features address critical pain points in laboratory management. While the former focuses on prioritizing urgent cases to improve patient outcomes, the latter ensures efficient handling of unprocessed investigations without disrupting ongoing workflows.

These features reflect our commitment to equipping laboratories with tools that enhance efficiency, ensure accuracy, and prioritize patient care. With our laboratory model, you can achieve streamlined processes, better resource utilization, and improved client satisfaction.

Conclusion

In today’s healthcare landscape, laboratories face increasing demands for accuracy, speed, and flexibility. By incorporating features like Emergency Sample Priority Listing and Mark as Not Performed, we empower laboratories to meet these challenges head-on, ensuring that critical cases receive prompt attention while maintaining smooth operational workflows.

Explore how these features can transform your laboratory operations today!

Related Blogs

Left Arrow Right Arrow

Outsourcing tests is a critical aspect of laboratory operations, but it comes with challenges such as maintaining accuracy, ensuring timely results, and managing external collaborations effectively. Laboratories often struggle with errors in test mapping, delayed reports, and tracking the status of outsourced tests, leading to inefficiencies and potential impacts on patient care.

MocDoc LIMS addresses these challenges head-on with its Outsource Management feature, a robust solution that simplifies the outsourcing process while ensuring transparency, accountability, and flexibility. Here's how MocDoc LIMS helps laboratories overcome the most pressing outsourcing hurdles.

Challenges in Managing Outsourced Tests

  1. Complex Test Mapping Laboratories often manage multiple external labs, each handling a range of tests with unique pricing and protocols. Mapping these tests accurately and maintaining an up-to-date database can be cumbersome.
  2. Lack of Real-Time Tracking Once a test is outsourced, tracking its progress is often a blind spot for many labs, resulting in delayed results and patient dissatisfaction.
  3. Error-Prone Workflows Miscommunication, manual errors, and the inability to revert outsourced tests can disrupt operations and reduce efficiency.
  4. Bulk Processing Difficulties Managing high volumes of tests for outsourcing is time-intensive, especially when done manually or without a streamlined system.
How MocDoc LIMS Provides a Seamless Solution

1. Simplified Test Mapping and Setup

  • Laboratories can create a comprehensive directory of external labs where samples are sent.
  • Each test can be mapped to one or more outsourced labs, complete with detailed pricing information.
  • The system supports unlimited lab mappings per test, offering maximum flexibility for various collaborations.
2. Streamlined Outsourcing Process

  • From Order Management: Users can outsource tests directly from the Order Management screen with a single click, selecting the appropriate lab from a prompt showing mapped labs and charges.
  • Bulk Outsourcing: The Outsource Management screen allows multiple tests to be outsourced simultaneously, saving significant time and effort.
3. Test Requisition Forms (TRFs) for Seamless Handover

  • MocDoc LIMS generates detailed TRFs for each outsourced test, ensuring smooth handovers between labs.
  • TRFs include critical details such as patient information, sample specifics, and lab origin and destination.
4. Real-Time Status Tracking

  • Laboratories gain visibility into the progress of outsourced tests with real-time updates on stages like "Sample Taken", "Completed", "Approved" and "Printed".
  • This feature ensures accountability and prevents any test from being overlooked.
5. Flexible Error Handling

  • Mistakes in outsourcing can be corrected seamlessly. Tests can be reverted to their original state and re-outsourced or retained for in-house processing.
  • This flexibility minimizes disruptions to workflow and maintains operational efficiency.
Key Benefits of MocDoc LIMS for Outsource Management

  1. Accuracy and Transparency TRFs, detailed mapping, and real-time tracking eliminate errors and provide a clear audit trail for all outsourced tests.
  2. Improved Workflow Efficiency Bulk outsourcing, automated processes, and easy error handling reduce manual effort and save time.
  3. Enhanced Flexibility Handle unexpected scenarios with ease, such as outsourcing previously in-house tests or reverting mistakes.
  4. Better Collaboration Seamless communication with external labs ensures timely results and better overall management.
A Game-Changer for Laboratory Outsourcing

By addressing the core challenges laboratories face in outsourcing tests, MocDoc LIMS offers a solution that boosts efficiency, maintains accuracy, and enhances patient care. Its Outsource Management feature empowers labs to navigate the complexities of outsourcing with confidence, ensuring operational excellence and peace of mind.

For laboratories looking to overcome outsourcing challenges, MocDoc LIMS is the ultimate partner in streamlining operations and delivering reliable results.

Overcoming Outsourcing Ch...

Outsourcing tests is a critical aspect of laboratory operatio.....

Published by: Mohammed Siddiq 2024113010:48:03

In a laboratory setting, maintaining financial accountability is as important as delivering timely and accurate results. Unsettled dues from patients and credit providers can lead to revenue losses and financial instability for labs. To address this challenge, MocDoc offers a robust feature that restricts lab report printing, email, SMS, and dispatch in cases of pending payments and exceeding credit limits. This feature ensures financial control while fostering responsible payment behaviour among patients and credit providers.

Addressing Payment Dues from Patients

Patients often collect their lab reports without clearing pending payments, which can disrupt the laboratory's cash flow. MocDoc provides a configuration that allows laboratories to enforce payment completion before report access.

How It Works:

  • Configuration Setup: When the feature is enabled in the MocDoc application, any unpaid bills associated with a patient will trigger the restriction.
  • Restrictions Applied: Lab Report Printing: The end-user (lab staff) cannot print the report until the bill is cleared. Digital Communication: Similarly, the report cannot be emailed or sent via SMS to the patient. Dispatch Restriction: Physical dispatch of reports is also disabled.
By enforcing these restrictions, laboratories can ensure that reports are only accessible after full payment, protecting their revenue and encouraging patients to settle dues promptly.

Managing Credit Providers with Exceeded Credit Limits

Credit providers, such as insurance companies or corporate partners, play a significant role in laboratory operations. However, if these credit providers exceed their agreed-upon credit limits and leave large amounts unsettled, it can impact the financial stability of the lab. MocDoc’s feature also extends to managing these scenarios effectively.

How It Works:

  • Credit Limit Configuration: Laboratories can define a credit limit for each credit provider in the system.
  • Automatic Restriction Trigger: If a credit provider exceeds their credit limit, the system automatically restricts the following functionalities: Printing: Lab reports cannot be printed. Email and SMS: Digital communication of reports is disabled. Dispatch: Physical dispatch of reports is restricted until the credit provider settles their outstanding dues.
This ensures that credit providers are held accountable for their financial obligations and prevents the accumulation of unpaid credit.

Benefits of the Restriction Feature

This feature delivers significant advantages for laboratories by streamlining financial management and ensuring operational efficiency.

1. Financial Control

By restricting access to lab reports until payments are settled, laboratories can effectively prevent revenue leakage.

2. Improved Cash Flow

Ensuring timely payments from both patients and credit providers strengthens the lab’s cash flow, supporting operational stability.

3. Accountability and Transparency

The system enforces accountability by making it clear to patients and credit providers that access to reports is contingent on settling dues.

4. Flexibility in Management

Laboratories can configure credit limits for providers and enforce restrictions dynamically, tailoring the system to their financial policies.

5. Operational Efficiency

The automation of restrictions eliminates the need for manual tracking of dues, freeing up staff to focus on core laboratory functions.

A Step Towards Sustainable Laboratory Operations

MocDoc’s restriction feature reflects its commitment to supporting laboratories in achieving financial sustainability without compromising patient care. By integrating financial accountability with operational processes, this feature helps labs maintain a balance between providing quality services and ensuring economic stability.

Laboratories can now manage unpaid bills and exceeded credit limits with confidence, fostering a culture of timely payments and responsible credit management.

Conclusion

Unpaid bills and exceeded credit limits are common challenges in laboratory operations. MocDoc’s restriction feature empowers laboratories to address these issues proactively, ensuring smooth workflows and financial health. This feature is a vital step towards building a financially sustainable and operationally efficient laboratory ecosystem.

Enhancing Financial Accou...

In a laboratory setting, maintaining financial accountability.....

Published by: Mohammed Siddiq 2024112610:18:40

Introduction:

In today's healthcare landscape, laboratories often rely on referrals from doctors to drive patient volume. However, managing these referrals can be cumbersome, leading to potential errors, inefficiencies, and missed opportunities. The traditional workflow involving doctors, patients, and labs often lacks coordination, which can impact patient care and laboratory operations. This article explores the common problems faced by laboratories in handling referral doctors and how MocDoc’s Referral Doctor Portal provides an effective solution.

The Problem: Challenges in Managing Doctor Referrals

Laboratories face several challenges when working with referral doctors:

  1. Inefficient Communication: Marketing teams from labs reach out to local doctors to establish referral relationships. Doctors provide diagnostic forms to patients, but communication about tests can be unclear or inconsistent.
  2. Manual Data Entry: When patients arrive at the lab, their information is often entered manually, which can lead to errors. Patients must repeat their details, creating redundancy and frustration.
  3. Lack of Visibility: Labs have limited insight into how many patients each doctor is referring, making it difficult to follow up with patients who do not visit.
  4. Missed Revenue Opportunities: If a patient does not visit the lab, the lab loses potential revenue and the doctor misses out on commissions.
The Solution: MocDoc’s Referral Doctor Portal

MocDoc addresses these challenges by providing a Referral Doctor Portal, which simplifies the referral process and enhances communication between doctors and laboratories. Here’s how it works:

1. Simplified Referral Process 🏥

Problem: Inefficient communication leads to confusion in the referral process. Solution: The Referral Doctor Portal allows doctors to easily add patient information and specify tests.

Key Features:

  • Instant Patient Entry: Doctors can quickly enter the patient’s name and select the required tests in the portal.
  • Order Generation: Each referral creates an order that appears in the processing lab’s account, ensuring immediate visibility.
Benefit: This streamlined process eliminates communication gaps, making it easy for doctors to refer patients directly to the lab.

2. Real-Time Visibility for Labs 👀

Problem: Labs struggle to track referral activity. Solution: The portal enables labs to monitor referrals from multiple doctors.

Key Features:

  • External Doctor's Request Screen: Labs can view a list of all patients referred by doctors in real time.
  • Daily Tracking: This screen allows labs to identify how many patients each doctor has referred for a given day.
Benefit: Labs can proactively follow up with patients who haven’t yet visited, ensuring they do not miss out on potential tests and commissions.

3. Automated Patient Registration 📋

Problem: Manual data entry leads to errors and inefficiencies. Solution: When a patient arrives at the lab, their mobile number can be used to quickly locate their referral.

Key Features:

  • Mobile Number Search: Upon entering the patient’s mobile number, the lab can see if there’s an existing order request.
  • Quick Registration and Billing: If the number matches, the lab can instantly create a registration and billing entry, pulling in all required information automatically.
Benefit: This automation reduces manual typing, minimizes errors, and speeds up the registration process, enhancing the patient experience.

4. Improved Billing Accuracy 💵

Problem: Inaccurate billing can lead to revenue loss. Solution: The system ensures that all investigations requested by the doctor are billed correctly.

Key Features:

  • Auto-Generated Billing: All tests selected by the doctor are automatically included in the patient’s bill.
  • Consistent Pricing: The lab can apply the agreed commission structure for each referral, ensuring accurate compensation for the doctor.
Benefit: This functionality eliminates billing errors and ensures that doctors receive their commissions in a timely manner.

Conclusion: Enhancing Efficiency with MocDoc

MocDoc’s Referral Doctor Portal transforms the way laboratories manage their relationships with referral doctors. By simplifying the referral process, providing real-time visibility, automating patient registration, and ensuring accurate billing, MocDoc effectively addresses the common challenges faced in laboratory workflows.

This integrated solution not only improves operational efficiency but also enhances collaboration between doctors and laboratories, ultimately leading to better patient care and increased revenue opportunities. For labs looking to streamline their referral processes and improve their operations, MocDoc offers a robust and user-friendly solution.

Streamlining Laboratory W...

Introduction:In today's healthcare landscape, laboratories of.....

Published by: Mohammed Siddiq 2024100715:35:57


Introduction:

In an increasingly diverse society, laboratories must adapt to the linguistic requirements of their patient populations. To improve communication and accessibility, we have introduced a feature that allows lab reports to include test result names in additional languages. This article outlines the innovative changes implemented to support multilingual reporting.

The Challenge: Meeting Language Requirements

As laboratories expand their services, they often face the challenge of effectively communicating with patients who speak different languages. Providing test results in multiple languages is essential for ensuring that all patients understand their medical information, promoting inclusivity and better healthcare outcomes.

The Solution: Additional Language Field in Test Masters

To address this challenge, we have added an Additional Language Field in the test master configuration. Here’s how it works:

1. New Field in Test Masters 🛠️

Implementation: A new text field, labeled Additional Language, has been incorporated next to the existing Result Name field in the test masters.

Functionality:

  • Users can enter the test result name in the required additional language alongside the standard result value.
  • This feature ensures that both the original and translated names appear on the lab reports, enhancing accessibility for patients.
Benefit: This allows laboratories to provide comprehensive test information in a language that resonates with a broader patient demographic.

2. Selective Language Display Using jQuery Configuration 🔧

Customization: To ensure that not all providers require multilingual reports, we implemented a jQuery configuration that controls the visibility of the additional language field based on provider selection.

Functionality:

  • The additional language result will only be displayed on lab reports for specific providers as configured by the laboratory.
  • This selective display ensures that the feature meets the precise needs of the laboratory's clientele.
Benefit: This customization respects the linguistic diversity of patients while maintaining clarity and consistency in reporting practices.

Advantages of the Feature:

  1. Enhanced Understanding 🗣️ Patients receive test results in a language they are comfortable with, improving their comprehension of health information.
  2. Improved Patient Experience 😊 By providing multilingual reports, laboratories foster a welcoming environment for patients, promoting trust and satisfaction.
  3. Selective Language Display 🔍 The use of a jQuery configuration allows labs to control which providers receive multilingual reports, ensuring customization based on specific needs.
  4. Streamlined Operations 📈 Automating the inclusion of additional languages reduces manual errors and administrative burdens, enhancing overall efficiency.
Conclusion: A Step Towards Inclusive Healthcare

The introduction of the Additional Language Field in lab reports marks a significant advancement towards inclusivity in healthcare services. By accommodating the language needs of diverse patient populations, laboratories can enhance understanding, improve communication, and foster better healthcare experiences.

Our commitment to innovation ensures that we continue to meet the evolving needs of our clients and their patients, setting a precedent for future enhancements that prioritize accessibility and inclusivity in laboratory communications.

Enhancing Lab Reports: Mu...

Introduction:In an increasingly diverse society, laboratories.....

Published by: Mohammed Siddiq 2024100715:21:15