Jan

14

Tip: Make observation orders specific

By Case Management Weekly

By Joby Kolson, DO, medical director of quality and care management,  AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, Atlantic City, NJ

We have found it works best for us to make observation orders very specific. We use orders such as:

Place in observation status on
____med/surg
___telemetry

In this case, the option for floor designation would be checked or circled. This eliminates the confusion around admission and observation since there is no mention of admission, and also specifies in which location in the hospital the patient should be placed.