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Order forms allow providers to specify to patients and testing centers what medical tests they would like a patient to complete in a structured way. Order forms have clearly labeled fields to store essential information needed to satisfy testing requirements and allows providers to document testing instructions.
Medical testing assists with detecting, diagnosing, or monitoring for diseases/conditions, disease/condition processes, susceptibility, or determining a course of treatment. Order forms allow providers to record their specifications for following up on patient health conditions, provide patients with a direction for a plan of care and dictate clear testing instructions for testing facilities.
Elation offers five structured order forms; all of which are accessible from the "Orders" button at the top of the patient's chart.
The best method of sharing orders with patients is via
Patient Passport as it is a secure and HIPAA-compliant portal and patients will always have access to the lab order. To share a order with a patient via Patient Passport:
- Find the signed order in the Chronological Record or in the Reports tab and click “Actions” >> “Send Patient Letter”
- A new Patient Letter draft will open up with the order attached
- Complete the remaining fields of the Patient Letter as needed
- Click "Sign & Send" to send the order to the patient's Passport account
The patient will receive a notification that new information was shared with them via their Passport account and the patient can sign in to their Passport account at any time to view and print the order.
Alternatively, you can always print an order and hand the order to the patient if the patient is in the office with you. To print a order, find the signed order in the Chronological Record or in the
Reports tab and click “Actions” >> “Print”
After you create and sign an Order Form in Elation, you can electronically fax it to a vendor via Elation's
Letter to Provider feature.
User Tip: Review
this list of electronic lab ordering vendors to see a list of specific Lab Vendors that can receive electronic orders directly through an interface with Elation. You will not need to send a fax to these Lab Vendors.
- Find the signed order in the Chronological Record or in the Reports tab and click “Actions” >> “Send Provider Letter”
- In the “To” field, type the fax number of the vendor. If a search result appears in the Provider Directory dropdown, click on the result to select an existing contact.
- If this is the first time you are faxing to the vendor and you are unable to find them in your directory, press the TAB key on your keyboard and a dialogue window will appear prompting you to save the fax number to a new contact. Select “Organization”, type the name of the vendor, and click "Save". This will allow you to search for the vendor by their name moving forward.
- Type a subject and message to the vendor as needed
- Next, click on “Select Chart Items to Attach”.
- Check the checkbox for "Patient Demographics" and click “Attach Items”.
- At the bottom of the letter, check the checkbox for “Also fax copies of attachments”
- Click “Sign & Send” to fax the order to the vendor.
Note: To fax the Order outside of Elation with your physical fax machine, you can print a copy of the Order by clicking “Actions" >> "Print” and then use your fax machine.
Being aware of outstanding orders is vital to prioritizing patient outreach efforts and informing future care plans, which is why we have incorporated an optional set of features that will help your practice keep track of outstanding orders. Learn more about the
Close-the-Loop experience and how to request access in the
Orders Guide- Following up on outstanding lab, radiology or other orders article.
How can I order tests that do not fit into the existing form categories?
We recommend using the Referral form to order other testing that does not fit into our existing form types.
Learn more about the Referrals feature here.
Can staff members help me create orders?
Yes! Staff members can draft orders for any patient. Once they are done drafting an order, staff members can click "Save as Draft & Close" to keep the order in the
Requiring Action section of the patient's chart for providers to complete and sign off.
If you would like staff members to sign orders on your behalf, you can assign them as a delegate.
Learn more about staff delegates here.
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