Specimens and dispensations

A specimen record points to the encounter and carries its type, collection time, accession number and processing status. A medication dispensation points to the encounter and records the medication, lot number, quantity, unit and authorizing person. These records let the clinician and reviewer see which evidence belongs to a care episode. Staff compare them with the laboratory or pharmacy source record when those teams operate separately.

In a worked encounter, a clinician records a specimen as Ordered. After collection, the team enters its collection time and accession number and marks it Collected. When the receiving team confirms the handoff, the state can become Received; later processing is represented by Tested or Rejected. Separately, a dispensation captures the medication and exact lot and quantity used for this encounter. The Business Overview page can surface recent specialty evidence alongside current operational states.

• Specimen state. Ordered, Collected, Received, Tested and Rejected show the progress of a specimen record.
• Accession detail. The specimen type, collection time and accession number help the team find the right source case.
• Dispensation detail. Medication, lot, quantity, unit and authorizing person are preserved with the encounter.

Agree who creates a specimen record, who updates its state and where the accession number comes from. Define how a rejected specimen is handled in the care team’s operating procedure and whether a fresh specimen gets a new record. For dispensations, choose the naming convention for medication and unit values, and decide how staff confirm the authorizing person. If a laboratory or pharmacy system is used, agree the source owner and the point at which its information is entered here.

Licensed Clinicians can manage specimens and dispensations. Clinical Reviewers can read both. Keep the encounter reference required for each record, then test that the patient and clinician context is available by opening the linked visit. Use the organization’s laboratory result or medication order during the handoff; the status records the specimen’s processing state.

Create an in-progress encounter and enter an Ordered specimen. Add the collection time and accession number as the case progresses. Walk the team through Collected and Received, then finish with Tested. Find the same record from the encounter and from the processing list. Repeat with Rejected and decide who contacts the treating clinician about the next step.

On that encounter, enter a dispensation with medication name, lot, quantity, unit and authorizing person. Ask a reviewer to locate the exact encounter and confirm the recorded evidence. If the team imports specialty data, reconcile accession numbers and lot information against the source before the pilot release.

• Specimens in process — Ordered, collected and received cases with accession context.
• Encounters awaiting review — Visits whose specialty evidence is ready for review with other care records.

Follow specimen and dispensation records and plan source connections.