Boost Efficiency With Cerner Tips, Tricks, And Shortcuts

Navigating electronic health records (EHRs) can feel like wandering through a labyrinth, especially with Cerner. This powerful but complex system is used by many healthcare facilities. This guide will uncover valuable Cerner tips, tricks, and shortcuts to transform your experience.

You'll learn how to streamline your workflows and improve efficiency. You might even rediscover the joy of patient care. Let’s level up your Cerner skills with this collection of Cerner tips, tricks, and shortcuts from fellow clinicians.

Mastering Cerner Documentation: Turning Data Entry into a Breeze

Documentation is the heart of any EHR, but it can be a major time drain. Cerner offers several tools and techniques to make documentation more efficient. Let’s take a look at some time-saving strategies.

Unleash the Power of Macros and AutoText: Your Personal Documentation Assistants

How often do you find yourself typing the same phrases repeatedly? Cerner's macros and AutoText features can save you from this tedious task.

Macros are bundles of pre-written content, order sentences, or even sets of orders inserted into your documentation with a few keystrokes. Imagine completing an entire ROS with one click.

Think about ordering labs for a specific condition without searching through countless menus. That's the power of macros. AutoText is similar but typically used for smaller chunks of text. These frequently used phrases or physical exam findings, can be built into a customized library of shortcuts.

Mastering macros requires upfront effort but consider it an investment. Not only does it speed up documentation, but it can improve accuracy and consistency. This reduces the likelihood of errors and can contribute to positive company program results.

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Embrace Voice Recognition: Dictate Your Way to Freedom

Voice Recognition Macros, often integrated with solutions like Dragon Medical One, are your ticket to documentation freedom. Dictate your notes and orders, and even create voice-activated macros.

With voice recognition, documentation becomes more natural. Your hands are free to do other tasks. Talk about multitasking.

Smart Templates and EMR Content: Pre-Populated Notes, Tailored to Your Workflow

Cerner offers Smart Templates and provider-friendly EMR Content. These are pre-built macros that automatically populate information into your notes based on your workflow.

Smart Templates save you time by pulling data from other chart parts and filling in relevant sections. Imagine a template that pre-populates the HPI based on the patient's chief complaint. It could automatically pull in vital signs and prompt you for key findings relevant to their presentation.

Supercharging Ordering Efficiency: Navigate the Order Maze Like a Pro

Entering orders shouldn't be a race against the clock. Let's explore Cerner tips, tricks, and shortcuts that streamline your order entry process.

Create Order Favorites: Assemble Your Ordering Arsenal

Just like documentation, there are common orders that you routinely place. Cerner's Order Favorites, or QuickOrders, save these commonly entered orders in an easy-to-access menu. Imagine having your go-to set of admission orders readily available.

Your discharge instructions or procedure-related order bundles would be ready at a glance. Ordering becomes a matter of a few clicks instead of digging through lengthy menus, drastically improving your efficiency. Additionally, standardizing orders with QuickOrders contributes to a more unified standard of care within your facility.

Leverage LaunchPoint Favorites: Ordering from Where You Need It

Think of Cerner's LaunchPoint as a centralized hub for accessing key functions within the EHR. When you're reviewing lab results, abnormal values often trigger the need for specific orders.

Configure your LaunchPoint Favorites with contextual orders. This allows you to rapidly enter orders as you identify relevant findings. LaunchPoint Favorites become your arsenal for efficient on-the-spot ordering.

Imagine a LaunchPoint Favorite that automatically orders a stat EKG as soon as you notice an elevated troponin level. No extra clicks are needed.

Embrace Prescription Favorites: The Pharmacist's Friend

Prescription Favorites offer a valuable shortcut for ordering medications. Save your frequently written prescriptions with pre-populated information. Organize them based on different medical systems.

Imagine ordering a commonly prescribed antibiotic with the correct dosage and route. Even prescribing instructions with a single click. This streamlines ordering and reduces errors, making the pharmacist's job easier.

Becoming a Cerner Power User: Continuous Improvement and the Art of Discovery

There's always something new to learn about Cerner. This last section explores tips and tricks for continuously refining your skills. You'll go from Cerner novice to seasoned expert.

Tap Into uCern Wiki: Cerner’s Extensive Knowledge Repository

The Cerner uCern Wiki is a wealth of knowledge. Here, you can discover new Cerner features and learn about updates. You can also dive into detailed documentation covering tasks, configuration options, and more.

Explore role-based end user training materials designed for different care areas. Watch task-based video demonstrations of how certain workflows function.

Review the roadmaps to understand future system updates. The possibilities are almost limitless.

Seek Out Peer-to-Peer Learning: Your Local Cerner Sensei May Be Closer Than You Think

One of the simplest ways to level up your Cerner game is to connect with colleagues. Seasoned Cerner users have likely developed tricks and clever solutions for streamlining tasks. Don't be shy to ask questions about their workflow.

Find out how your colleagues utilize macros. See if they’ve discovered any hidden features. It's a quick way to unlock a world of previously unknown tips. You could even share your own favorite hacks. Peer-to-peer learning is a win-win.

Use the Power of YouTube: The Public's Treasure Chest

We live in an era where much information is accessible at our fingertips, including how-to videos about everything. Platforms like YouTube have users that share everything from basic guides to in-depth walkthroughs.

Use targeted searches about Cerner, specific workflow functions, or areas of the system where you struggle. There are step-by-step demonstrations available to help clarify things you may not understand. It can feel like having your personal Cerner guru on demand.

Quick List of Cerner Tips, Tricks, and Shortcuts

Here's a quick list of all the Cerner tips, tricks, and shortcuts for your convenience:

Documentation & Charting

Auto-Text for Common Phrases: Utilize Cerner's Auto-Text feature to save commonly used phrases or diagnosis notes, allowing you to quickly insert them into patient documentation with just a few keystrokes.

Smart Templates: Create and use Smart Templates for frequent conditions or procedures, enabling faster and more consistent documentation across multiple patients with similar diagnoses.

Copy Forward Feature: Use the “Copy Forward” option to bring over details from previous encounters into new documentation, saving time on repetitive data entry for follow-up visits.

Dynamic Documentation: Take advantage of Cerner’s dynamic documentation feature, which allows real-time documentation during patient interactions, reducing the need for post-visit charting.

Order Entry

Order Sets: Create custom order sets for commonly ordered labs, medications, or radiology tests, allowing you to input multiple orders with just a few clicks.

Favorites List for Orders: Use the Favorites feature to store commonly used lab tests, medications, and procedures, reducing the time spent searching through extensive order lists.

Quick Orders: Utilize the Quick Orders functionality to quickly access frequently ordered items, especially during emergency situations or high-volume periods.

Electronic Order Routing: Set up electronic routing for orders to labs, pharmacies, or imaging centers, ensuring orders are processed quickly without manual follow-ups.

Scheduling & Appointments

Appointment Recurrence: When scheduling follow-ups or routine check-ins, use Cerner’s recurrence settings to create a series of appointments, eliminating the need to manually schedule each session.

Drag-and-Drop Scheduling: Rearrange patient appointments with drag-and-drop functionality, helping you easily adjust the schedule based on patient or staff availability.

Waitlist Management: Keep track of patients who are waiting for earlier appointment slots and easily move them into canceled or rescheduled slots using the waitlist feature.

Medication Management

Medication Favorites: Save commonly prescribed medications to your favorites for faster prescription entry, especially for patients with chronic conditions who require routine refills.

Interaction Alerts: Enable and monitor drug interaction alerts, ensuring patient safety by automatically cross-referencing medications for potential issues before finalizing prescriptions.

E-Prescribing: Use Cerner’s e-prescribing feature to send prescriptions directly to the patient’s preferred pharmacy, cutting down on delays and ensuring timely medication delivery.

Billing & Coding

Auto-Populate ICD and CPT Codes: Enable automatic coding for ICD-10 and CPT codes based on patient notes and diagnoses, ensuring accurate and timely submission of billing information.

Billing Dashboard: Regularly check the billing dashboard for real-time data on claims, payments, and rejections to stay on top of the revenue cycle.

Custom Billing Reports: Set up custom billing reports to track billing trends, payment delays, and frequent denials, providing insights to improve overall billing efficiency.

Patient Communication

Patient Portal Setup: Ensure patients are enrolled in Cerner’s patient portal so they can view their records, schedule appointments, and communicate directly with the care team through secure messaging.

Automated Appointment Reminders: Use automated reminders to send email or SMS notifications for upcoming appointments, reducing no-show rates and improving clinic productivity.

Two-Way Messaging: Enable secure two-way messaging to allow patients to ask non-urgent questions or request refills, making communication more convenient for both patients and staff.

Compliance & Reporting

Audit Trail Review: Use the audit trail feature to track changes made to patient records, ensuring compliance with regulatory standards like HIPAA and maintaining data integrity.

Custom Compliance Reports: Set up regular compliance reports to monitor that all required documentation is complete and meets state and federal guidelines.

Clinical Decision Support Alerts: Enable decision support alerts that remind you of key regulatory requirements, such as mandatory vaccinations or routine screenings, ensuring compliance without manual tracking.

Data & Analytics

Real-Time Dashboards: Customize your dashboard to display real-time data on patient outcomes, treatment effectiveness, or clinic productivity, allowing for immediate adjustments to care plans or clinic operations.

Patient Outcome Tracking: Use Cerner’s outcomes tracking tools to monitor patient progress over time, especially for chronic conditions, allowing for more informed adjustments to treatment plans.

Data Exporting for Research: Export clinical data for external research purposes or internal performance reviews, helping your clinic stay on top of best practices and treatment outcomes.

Security & Access Control

Role-Based Permissions: Set up role-based permissions to ensure that staff members only have access to the data and functions they need for their roles, improving both security and workflow efficiency.

Two-Factor Authentication: Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) for an additional layer of security, especially when accessing sensitive patient data remotely.

Integration & Interoperability

Integration with Billing Software: Ensure seamless integration between Cerner and external billing or practice management systems to streamline the billing workflow from documentation to claims.

EHR Interoperability: Take advantage of Cerner’s interoperability features to share and receive patient data from other health systems, ensuring continuity of care and reducing duplication of tests.

These Cerner tips and tricks can significantly improve your workflow, reduce documentation time, and enhance patient care by making the most out of the software’s capabilities.

A Final Word

Mastering a complex EHR like Cerner can be challenging. This journey of continuous improvement, with the help of fellow users, allows for increased productivity within Cerner. However, embracing these Cerner tips, tricks, and shortcuts can unlock greater potential within your workflows.

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