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.