General guidelines when an MD is covering another MD
Deferring EPIC tasks of messages to the primary care doctor (PCP) is acceptable if the message is not urgent, and can easily be done by the PCP (like messages that are family members returning PCP calls)
Physicians should look at and save the coverage emails sent out each week to know how long other providers are out
The covering MD is expected to
- Check the other MD’s inbox at minimum once in morning, preferably before 9:30am, and again in afternoon, preferably before 4pm, and then after 4 pm to address any remaining issues.
- Not assume that team Nurse Practitioner will be able to answer/follow up all calls given their commitment to covering the entire team and triaging most urgent issues
- Make note on all messages to acknowledge they have been reviewed and next steps in plan; example phrases below:
- "Appreciate RN/NP coverage, will place nursing order for follow-up of…"
- "Will place COC for further follow-up….”
- “Spoke to patient and….
- “Defer to PCP to follow-up patient request/abnormal labs.”
- Note: to avoid adding to others’ inboxes use the “Quick Note” function rather than making an addendum.
- Mark as “Done” all messages which will move the message to “covered work”, with the occasional exception of an ongoing issue and/or one that needs follow up the next day (like an ordered lab or x-ray)
- Review all new labs and comment on them, then “done” them.
- Review all MyChart messages and respond depending on urgency (call to patient or family member, response in my chart, or note in MyChart indicating message received PCP away and that they would respond on their return)
- Review hospital discharges that appear in EPIC, request for transitional care management (TCM), and notify the team nurse practitioner and social worker.
- Make an attempt to call the home or the next of kin when a call comes in from a visiting nurse or other home care provider and that person is not available on call back.
FAQs:
- What if an issue extends to the next day? --> Email or message the MD covering the following day to let them know the issue and what to follow up on. • How can providers learn how long an MD is out? o This will be listed on the weekly emails that detail coverage and who is out. • How do you create an out of office message in EPIC? Is that viewable to patients using MyChart? o You can create an “out of office” message for other providers who contact you in EPIC but it asks for a delegate which can be complicated if you are being covered by several other MDs. • How should a covering provider handle DME requests? o You can create an “out of office” message for other providers who contact you in EPIC but it asks for a delegate which can be complicated if you are being covered by several other MDs. • Can you add an inbox on Haiku? o At present, no. • Do MyChart messages go into the “covered work” basket? o Yes
Helpful tips • Sticky note function o you can find this when you open a patient’s chart. Look for “My Sticky Note” on the right side of the banner that has the patient’s name, record number, etc. You can create a flag that pops up each time you enter that patient’ chart until you decide to remove it. • Postponing function o The covering MD can postpone a message by right clicking it and selecting “properties” and then can postpone a message to when a provider returns.