Encounter coordination

A referral describes the specialty request. An encounter records a particular patient visit with a clinician, visit type, scheduled time, start time and end time. That distinction helps the coordinator avoid treating a referral marked Scheduled as a visit that already happened. The encounter’s state shows whether the patient is scheduled, has arrived, is being seen, awaits review or has completed the visit.

The active worklist brings current visits together. The schedule calendar arranges encounter records using the available date fields. The Business Overview page gives a broader read of encounter throughput, current state and assigned clinician work. These screens help a manager inspect the day without changing the underlying visit record.

• Schedule. The Referral Coordinator selects the patient and clinician, records the visit type and scheduled date, and leaves the encounter Scheduled.
• Attend. The Clinician or coordinator updates arrival and start information as the visit proceeds.
• Complete. The Clinician checks linked documentation and records the end and completed state after the visit.

Agree who changes visit state, especially around arrival and review. Decide when the actual start and end dates should be entered and how cancellations are recorded. A cancelled visit and a completed one tell different stories to the referral team. The team should also decide how the external appointment channel feeds the schedule; a connection may be needed if booking occurs elsewhere.

Reconcile the referral and encounter through the shared patient during the human handoff. Scheduling an encounter may justify a referral marked Scheduled, while a completed encounter gives the reviewer context for marking a referral Seen. Neither status alone establishes a clinical outcome. Review the patient link and clinician link before attaching notes or observations to the visit.

A patient with a Reviewed referral has a Tuesday specialty appointment. The coordinator creates an encounter for that patient and clinician, gives it a visit type and scheduled date, and marks the referral Scheduled. At arrival, the encounter moves from Scheduled to Arrived. The clinician starts the visit and later records its end. Documentation and observations are linked to the encounter so the next reviewer can see what visit they concern.

If the patient cancels before arrival, select Cancelled on the encounter and revisit the referral’s next step. In a rehearsal, place a completed and a cancelled visit on the calendar and make sure staff can tell which case needs fresh coordination.

• Active Encounter Worklist — Current visits with patient, clinician and state visible.
• Encounter Schedule Calendar — Scheduled and active visits arranged by their encounter dates.

Review the visit and documentation path and prepare implementation.