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OUTPATIENT ORDER ENTRY ERROR RATE - QT17
QT17

Order accuracy bears an obvious relationship to the quality of laboratory testing. When the laboratory fails to complete a requested test, it delays the diagnostic evaluation, consumes unnecessary resources, causes patient inconvenience, and may prolong therapy. When the laboratory completes a test that was not requested, the cost of care increases, patients may be subjected to unnecessary phlebotomy, and laboratory efficiency declines. Use this monitor to help meet CAP Laboratory Accreditation Program Checklist statements GEN.20316, 40700, 40725, 40750 for test order and related information accuracy, and The Joint Commission Standard DC.01.02.01: The laboratory performs testing based on written laboratory test orders.


Objective

This study will measure the incidence of incorrectly interpreted and entered outpatient physician test orders into the laboratory information system, compare performance across institutions, and track performance over time.

Data Collection

On six preselected weekdays per month, participants will compare eight outpatient requisitions or order sheets to the orders entered into the laboratory’s information system to determine if any order entry errors occurred.

This monitor includes test order review from ambulatory outpatients seen in offices and clinics operated by laboratory services, private physician offices, nursing homes, extended care facilities, and free-standing phlebotomy areas. Also included are send-out tests, chemistry, hematology, microbiology, immunology, toxicology, and urinalysis tests on out patients. Order entry error categories include requesting physician errors, incorrect and extra test orders, missing test orders and diagnosis codes, test priority errors, and copy or fax result errors.

This monitor excludes tests performed in transfusion medicine or anatomic pathology, and also excludes tests from the following patient care settings: inpatient, emergency department, ambulatory surgery, urgent care, chest pain center, 23-hour short-stay facility, employee health department, outpatient screening fair/promotion, and dialysis center.

Performance Indicators

  • Overall outpatient order entry error rate (%)
  • Order entry error rates by type (%)

Performance Breakdown

  • Breakdown of error types (%)

Shipping Schedule

  • Shipment A: December 9, 2024
  • Shipment B: March 10, 2025
  • Shipment C: June 9, 2025
  • Shipment D: September 8, 2025

Additional Information

Participants in this program receive:

  • User Guide
  • Templates and instructions for data collection
  • Quarterly reports that include fingerprint clusters, customer-defined groups, and all institution comparisons
  • Peer directory

For Comprehensive Collection of Tools, see Quality Management Tools.


 
Select Q-PROBES and Q-TRACKS studies to support your quality improvement initiatives.
Preanalytic
Analytic
Postanalytic
Anatomic Pathology
Clinical Pathology
Turnaround Time
Patient Safety
Microbiology
Transfusion Medicine
Chemistry/ Hematology
Customer Satisfaction
Q-PROBES
Laboratory Staffing Ratios QP251 (QPR-A)
Assessment of Consistency of Body Fluid Morphologic
Observations (QPB10/QPB25)
Assessment of Consistency of Peripheral Blood
Morphologic Observations (QPC10/QPC25)
Assessment of Consistency of Gram Stain Morphologic Observations (QPD10/QPD25)
Q-TRACKS
Blood Culture Contamination (QT2)
Laboratory Specimen Acceptability (QT3)
In-Date Blood Product Wastage (QT4)
Satisfaction with Outpatient Specimen Collection (QT7)
Stat Test Turnaround Time Outliers (QT8)
Critical Values Reporting (QT10)
Corrected Results (QT16)
Outpatient Order Entry Errors (QT17)

*The CAP requires accredited laboratories to have a quality management plan that covers all areas of the laboratory and includes benchmarking key measures of laboratory performance (GEN.13806, GEN.20316, COM.04000). The Joint Commission requires accredited hospitals to regularly collect and analyze performance data (PI.01.01.01, PI.02.01.01). CLIA requires laboratories to monitor, assess, and correct problems identified in preanalytic, analytic, and postanalytic systems (§493.1249, §493.1289, §493.1299).