Lab Order Provider Signature Delegation [Early Access]

EARLY ACCESS

This feature is currently in early access. If you are interested in joining early access for this feature, please let us know using the Product Feedback Card.

The Lab Delegation feature is intended to address the fact that providers aren't always available to sign orders when they need to be sent. With Lab Delegation, providers can delegate signature authority to trusted staff members who can apply the provider's signature to lab orders, preventing them from being held up. As a result, labs will still receive appropriate signatures, and workflows can progress. Additionally, the feature is secure, auditable, and provider-controlled, and offers clear visibility into which user applied the provider's signature to which order for auditing purposes.

Required Permissions: Providers (users with the Doctor role) can add and revoke delegates. Super Admins, Doctors, and Nurses can view delegate assignments.

How to Add Delegates (Providers)

Provider users should follow these instructions to assign users as delegates.

1. Click your initials > Lab Delegation > My Delegates. 
   

2. From the Lab Delegation tab, click My Delegates.

   

3. Click Add Delegate to add a user (or users) as your delegate(s).

   • Any user who can create lab orders can be your delegate, including users with Nurse, Doctor, Records Admin, and Super Admin roles. You can remove delegates at any time.

     

     • The delegate user should share at least one location with you, and be a user whose clinical judgment you trust.
     • You can add as many delegates as necessary.
     • Click Add once you have selected all desired users.
4. Use the mouse or touchpad to add a signature for your delegates to use, then click Save Signature. You can change or delete the signature at any time.
5. Read the consent information and select the checkbox to enable the delegation feature, then click Save.

Note: Whenever you add a new delegate, you need to consent again. You do not need to re-create your signature.

How to Revoke Delegate Access

As a provider, you can revoke any or all delegate access at any time from the My Delegates tab.

1. Click Revoke next to the delegate to revoke their access.
2. Click Revoke All Access at the bottom of the page to revoke all delegation access.

Note: When a user's profile is disabled, all delegation access is revoked automatically. All users who were ever assigned as your delegates can be reviewed in the Delegate History.

How to View Provider Delegates

Required Permissions: Super Admin, Doctor, or Nurse. Only providers can grant or revoke their own delegation access.

To view which users are delegates for which providers, follow these instructions.

1. From the Lab Delegation tab, click All Delegates
2. Use the Provider and Delegate drop-downs to choose which providers and delegates you want to view.
3. You can click on the History button to view the complete history of all users (including users who were delegates but aren't anymore).
4. The Delegate History window will open, allowing you to view the delegate history for your instance.

How to Apply a Provider Signature as a Delegate

When you are a delegate for a lab provider, you have two primary ways to apply the signature.

Creating New Lab Orders

1. When you create a new order and you're a delegate for the ordering provider, the system asks if you want to apply the provider's signature to these new orders immediately. Check the consent checkbox before creating the orders.
2. These orders will be created in the Reviewed status, and both the provider's name and your name will be logged with the signature.

Orders Table

When other users create lab orders, as a delegate, you can apply the provider's signature to those orders as well. You can do so from any area where you see the list of lab orders:

• Patient > Lab Orders
• Labs > Medical Test Orders
• Dashboard > Physician Review > Medical Test Orders (if you have access to this area)

Click Apply Provider Signature, consent to the delegation feature, then click Confirm.

If you're a delegate for multiple providers, you can sign all their orders with this step.

If you're also a provider, sign your own orders separately using the Review All/Filtered button, then apply another provider's signature using the delegate workflow.