Order Routes

For more information about setting up order routes for order type groups, order genuses, and order types, see Best practice for configuring order routes.

1. Display the Order Routes page: On the Main Menu, click Settings > Clinicals. In the left menu, under Practice Links — Order Configuration, click Order Routes.
2. Click Add new.
   Additional fields appear.

Specify one of the following options

3. Order type group — Select the order type group from the menu, for example, LAB, IMAGING, or VACCINE.
4. Genus name — Select the order genus.
5. Order type — Enter the first few characters of the order (for example, the prescription, test, or procedure) and select the clinical order type from the matching list.

Specify order route details

6. Department — To use this order route for specific departments only, click Selected and then select the departments from the list.
7. Clinical provider — If you want the Send to field of the order to display a specific clinical provider by default, click Search to search for and select that clinical provider (see Clinical Provider Selector). For an in‑house lab, select your practice name.
   Important: The clinical provider selected in this field is used only for the orders specified by the order route. This field does not cause the order route to be used for the specified clinical provider.
8. Alarm days — Select the number of days or weeks to allow the order to be filled. If you select default, the orders use the athenaOne default follow-up alarm interval for that order type. Most orders have a default alarm already set by athenahealth. This field allows you to select an alternate default alarm.
9. Priority — If you will have multiple order routes for the same groups of orders (Labs, Imaging, etc.), the order route with the lower priority number has priority. For example, if you have an order route for the "LAB" order type group, set the priority higher (2 or 3) than for a specific order route for the CBC Genus (1 or 2).

Specify an order form

10. Clinical order form — Select the clinical paper form on which the orders will be printed. (These forms are administered using the Clinical Paper Forms page.)
11. Dymo label form — If you created specimen labels on the Clinical Paper Forms page, you can select one of these labels from the menu. Use this option to replace the default athenaOne specimen collection label with a label created by your practice.
    Note: On the Clinical Paper Forms page, you must select the Specimen Label option in the Type of paper form field (see To create a custom lab specimen label").

Complete the order route

12. Default route? — Select this option if you are creating a new order route to load a specific clinical provider, order alarm, or clinical paper form for a certain department. For example, if you want all lab orders for Department A to route to Local Memorial Hospital — Lab, configure this new order route as the default route.
13. Click Save.
    The order route appears in the list of order routes at the bottom of the page.

For more information about setting up order routes for order type groups, order genuses, and order types, see Best practice for configuring order routes.

1. Display the Order Routes page: On the Main Menu, click Settings > Clinicals. In the left menu, under Practice Links — Order Configuration, click Order Routes.
2. Click Add new.
   Additional fields appear.

Specify one of the following options

3. Order type group — Select the order type group from the menu, for example, LAB, IMAGING, or VACCINE.
4. Genus name — Select the order genus.
5. Order type — Enter the first few characters of the order (for example, the prescription, test, or procedure) and select the clinical order type from the matching list.

Specify order route details

6. Department — To use this order route for specific departments only, click Selected and then select the departments from the list.
7. Clinical provider — Click Search to search for and select an athenaCoordinator facility, identified with the olive branch icon (see Clinical Provider Selector).
   Important: The clinical provider selected in this field is used only for the orders specified by the order route. This field does not cause the order route to be used for the specified clinical provider.
8. Alarm days — Most orders have a default alarm already set by athenahealth. This field allows you to select an alternate default alarm. Select the number of days or weeks to allow the order to be filled. If you select default, the orders use the athenaOne default follow‑up alarm interval for that order type.
9. Priority — If you will have multiple order routes for the same groups of orders (Labs, Imaging, etc.), the order route with the lower priority number has priority. For example, if you have an order route for the "LAB" order type group, set the priority higher (2 or 3) than for a specific order route for the CBC Genus (1 or 2).

Specify an order form

10. Clinical order form — Select the clinical paper form on which the orders will be printed. (These forms are administered using the Clinical Paper Forms page.) Select a DYMO label form if your practice has created specimen labels. If no clinical order form or specimen collection label is selected, the default athenaOne forms are used.
11. Dymo label form — If you created specimen labels on the Clinical Paper Forms page, you can select one of these labels from the menu. Use this option to replace the default athenaOne specimen collection label with a label created by your practice.
    Note: On the Clinical Paper Forms page, you must select the Specimen Label option in the Type of paper form field (see To create a custom lab specimen label").

Complete the order route

12. Default route? — Select this option only if the new order route is for a specific department. For example, if you want all lab orders for Department A to route to Local Memorial Hospital — Lab, configure this new order route as the default route.
13. Click Save.
    The order route appears in the list of order routes at the bottom of the page.

Adding an order route that is specific to the handout's order type allows for easier printing of the handout during the course of the encounter. For more information about creating patient information handouts, see Creating Custom Patient Information Handouts Quick Reference Guide.

1. Display the Order Routes page: On the Main Menu, click Settings > Clinicals. In the left menu, under Practice Links — Order Configuration, click Order Routes.
2. Click Add new.
   The Add Order Route view appears.
3. Order type group — Leave this field blank.
4. Genus name — Leave this field blank.
5. Order type — Enter the first few characters of the order type that you selected in the Info for order type field on the Clinical Paper Forms page, and select the clinical order type from the matching list.
6. Department — To use this order route for specific departments only, click Selected and then select the departments from the list.
7. Clinical order form — Select the patient information handout that you uploaded on the Clinical Paper Forms page.
8. Default route? — Select this option.
9. Click Save.
   The order route will cause the orders to print the handout instead of the default order form.

Before printing or faxing vaccine prescriptions, verify the selections for printing vaccines for your practice.

1. Display the Order Routes page: On the Main Menu, click Settings > Clinicals. In the left menu, under Practice Links — Order Configuration, click Order Routes.
2. Order type group — Select Vaccine.
3. Clinical order form — Select the appropriate prescription order form for your practice.
4. Click Save.

To print a vaccine prescription:

1. Locate the vaccine document task in SUBMIT status.
2. Click Print.

We recommend that you set up order routes as follows:

• Set a default order route for each order type group. Do not specify an order genus or order type for this route. As an example, Order Route 1 in the following table will be used for all vaccines.
• If you have a group of orders — that is, a genus — for which a different order route should apply, create a separate order route and specify an order genus but not an order type. As an example, with Order Routes 1 and 2a in the following table in use, Order Route 1 will be used for all vaccines except DTaP vaccines, which will use Order Route 2a.
• If there is a single order type for which a specific order route should apply, create a separate order route, and specify an order type but not an order genus. As an example, with Order Routes 1 and 2b in the following table in use, Order Route 2b will be used for MMR vaccines only.

Note: We do not recommend that you set up both an "order genus" route (example 2a) and an "order type" route (example 2b) for a given order type group.

The clinical provider that you specify in an order route becomes the default provider that appears in the Send to field in orders specified by the order route. For example, if you send lab orders to only one location and you want the Send to provider on lab orders to display this clinical provider automatically, you can create an order route for this purpose.

Important: The sole purpose of the Clinical provider field is to be used for the orders specified by the order route. The clinical provider selected in this field does not cause the order route to be used for the specified clinical provider.

For more information, see Clinical Provider Selector.

To access the clinical provider selector when you create or update an order route

1. Display the Order Routes page: On the Main Menu, click Settings > Clinicals. In the left menu, under Practice Links — Order Configuration, click Order Routes.
2. To add an order route:
1. Click Add new.
2. Click Search next to the Clinical provider field.
3. To edit an order route:
1. Click edit next to the order route.
2. Click the name of the existing receiver.

When you select an order, the Send to field displays a clinical provider according to the following hierarchy, in order. For example, if the order type is not associated with a patient-preferred clinical provider, athenaOne looks for an order route, and so on.

1. Patient-preferred clinical provider (pharmacy, lab, or imaging facility), configured in the patient chart or in the Quickview.
2. Clinical provider specified for the order type on the Order Routes page (order specified in Order type field is mapped to a clinical paper form and a default clinical provider).
3. Clinical provider specified for the order type group on the Order Routes page (order specified in Order type field is not mapped to a clinical provider, but the Order type group that includes the order type is mapped to a clinical paper form and a default clinical provider).
4. Clinical provider used in the most recently added order with the same order type for this patient.
5. Clinical provider used in the most recently added order of the same order type group in this encounter.

If you select a specific facility, the default clinical provider is that facility.

The value that you set in the Alarm days field on the Order Routes page may be ignored when you send an order that is configured with an order route.

• If a previous order with the same order type was sent for the patient, the alarm days value is set to the same value as the most recent order with the same order type (the value configured in the Alarm days field on the Order Routes page is ignored).
• If no previous order with the same order type was sent for the patient, the value configured in the Alarm days field on the Order Routes page is used.

Which alarm setting does athenaOne use for an order?

 

athenaOne searches for the alarm setting to use in the following order.

1. Previous/historical alarm value — If a previous order with the same order type exists for the patient, athenaOne uses the same alarm value set for the most recent order with the same order type.
2. Order set — athenaOne uses the Alarm selection on the Order Sets page (if the order is part of an order set and an alarm is configured on the Order Sets page).
3. User preference — If you selected the No lab alarms by default option on the User Preferences page, the default value in the Alarm menu for your ordered labs is none (blank).
4. Order route — athenaOne uses the Alarm days setting on the Order Routes page (if the order is configured with an order route).
5. Order type — athenaOne uses the default alarm setting for the order type (set by athenahealth) — usually one or two weeks, depending on the type of order.

When you print an order, athenaOne selects the clinical paper form according to the following hierarchy, in order. For example, if the order with an associated order route is not a patient info order, athenaOne considers item 2, and so on.

1. Patient info orders — athenaOne looks at the Clinical Paper Forms page for any forms associated with that order type (see "To create an order route for custom patient information handouts").
2. All other order types — athenaOne looks at the clinical provider on the order to determine whether a global receiver-specific paper form is set up (this scenario is most common with LabCorp and Quest orders).
3. Order routes that match the order's clinical order type.
4. Order routes that match the order's order genus.
5. Order routes that match the order's clinical order type group.
6. Order route that is configured as the default route.
7. Order route with the highest ID (that is, the most recently created order route) if more than one order route is configured.