An implementation guide to improve accuracy and efficiency for outpatient referrals using EHR functionality

Mayo Clinic adopted one electronic health record (EHR) across all 70 locations in five different states in 2017 and 18. A post-implementation review addressed concerns, and new workflows, processes and functionalities were adjusted. A common issue raised by multiple departments related to difficulty in accessing the right referral orders. Referrals between departments at Mayo Clinic are orders driven; scheduling is dependent on accurate ordering. Mayo Clinic’s vast size and number of specialties resulted in a very large catalogue of referral orders mapping to appointment types specific to each specialty. Providers found ordering in the new system time-consuming and looking for specific orders tedious. Often, wrong orders were selected, resulting in scheduling errors, reordering, rescheduling and staff and patient dissatisfaction. To solve this problem, an innovative functionality, EZ Panels, was created, which uses a panel-within-panel approach to group orders by speciality, displaying a much shorter list to providers. This functionality improved ordering capabilities, making it easier for providers to access the correct orders and make referrals accurately and efficiently. All 70 practices built and implemented EZ Panels in less than one year. Our fast-paced build and implementation approach can be modified and used by any healthcare system experiencing similar issues.