Clinic Assistant Updates - Table of Contents
Oct. 2nd, 2014: Clinical Updates & Reminders ....................................................................................................................... 2
1.
Tobacco Usage............................................................................................................................................................ 2
2.
Flu Shots...................................................................................................................................................................... 2
Sep. 23rd, 2014: Clinical Updates & Reminders ..................................................................................................................... 3
1.
2.
Next Gen Updates ....................................................................................................................................................... 3
a.
Tracking................................................................................................................................................................... 3
b.
Height and BMI ....................................................................................................................................................... 3
c.
Tobacco and Allergies ............................................................................................................................................. 3
Clinic Assistant Skills Update - LEADS.......................................................................................................................... 6
Sep. 16th, 2014: Clinic Assisant Skills Update – Family Planning Notes................................................................................. 6
Sep. 2nd, 2014: Clinical Reminder – Clinic Assistant Expectations.......................................................................................... 6
Aug. 11th, 2014: Next-Gen Reminder – Entering Information in Next-Gen ........................................................................... 6
Jul. 28th, 2014: Next-Gen Reminder – Sharing Login Information ......................................................................................... 6
Jul. 23rd, 2014: Clinical Reminder – Patient Tracking ............................................................................................................. 7
Jul. 17th, 2014: Clinical Reminders ......................................................................................................................................... 7
1. Patient Labels .................................................................................................................................................................. 7
2. Well Child Checks (WCC) ................................................................................................................................................. 7
Apr. 25th, 2014: Clinical Reminder – Reason for Visit ............................................................................................................ 7
Apr. 22nd, 2014: Clinical Reminder – Blue Charts ................................................................................................................... 7
Apr. 22nd, 2014: Clinical Reminder – Master IM Assessment ................................................................................................ 7
Apr. 18th, 2014: Volunteer Dress Code Reminder ................................................................................................................. 8
Mar. 11, 2014: Clinical Reminder – Taking Blood Pressure ................................................................................................... 8
Mar. 5, 2014: Clinical Reminders ........................................................................................................................................... 8
1.
Homeless Patient Screening – Next-Gen Procedure.................................................................................................... 8
2.
Follow Up on ER Visit or Hospitalization ..................................................................................................................... 8
3.
NO BMI Plans .............................................................................................................................................................. 9
Feb. 12, 2014: Clinical Reminder – Westside Partners Patients ............................................................................................ 9
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Oct. 2nd, 2014 – Clinical Updates & Reminders:
1. Tobacco Usage - The Next-Gen upgrade did NOT transfer patients’ “Tobacco Usage” information
completely. When entering patient information into Next-Gen, please always make sure that the
patient’s Tobacco Usage information is up-to-date.

Always check to make sure both the “Smoking Status” box and the “Tobacco Use” box are filled in.

“Smoking Status” and “Tobacco Use” fields are required in order for the clinic to meet Meaningful Use
(MU) requirements.

Applies to all patients that are 13 years of age and over.
A. To update Tobacco Use Information, please click on “Tobacco Usage” on the right side of the screen
B. Complete “Tobacco Use Status” by selecting an option from the drop-down menu (see below)
Please note: For children 12 and under, you will need to answer the questions under “Passive Smoke”. Please ask if you
are not sure how to update these fields.
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2. Flu Shots: It’s flu season, and VFC has started to offer flu shots to all patients!

What does this mean for Clinic Assistants?
o Always ask your patient if they are interested in receiving the flu vaccine.
o
If the patient is interested in receiving a flu shot, please alert Nursing Staff so that they can
administer it.
o
If the patient declines, please note this in the “Comments” section of the Chief Complaint / Reason
for Visit page
 Notate “Patient declines flu vaccine/shot” in the comments section
 Your note helps the provider know that we screened the patient, and the provider can then
update their clinical care guidelines.
Sep. 23rd, 2014 – Clinical Updates & Reminders:
1. Next Gen Updates:
a. Tracking: We must now track patients when we start work up by selecting WITH NURSING and then
track when we finish to WAITING FOR PROVIDER
 This new system will help the Clinic better track the flow of patients and, eventually, improve
our efficiency and ability to serve more patients
b. Height and BMI: Please use feet/inches or cm. Not total inches. It does not automatically calculate BMI.
ERRONENOUS entry:
CORRECT entry:
c. Tobacco and Allergies: Please update Tobacco usage and update allergies at every visit
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This is how the templates should look like. Please see screen shots below. Please always feel free to ask
nursing supervisors on staff and other medical assistants for help.
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*Be sure to scroll all the way down to the Save & Close button*
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2. Clinic Assistant Skills Update (LEADS): We are proud to announce that we added the following skills to the Lead
Clinic Assistant name tags: Visual Acuity Tests and Urine Dips. Just like all the skills on the CA nametags, staff
must observe and sign off on volunteers’ lists ONLY when the volunteer demonstrates successful completion of
that skill. Staff should only sign the checklist if the staff member is confident that the volunteer can move
forward performing the skill on their own after accruing three signatures.
Please note that urine dips still must be checked by staff even after Lead Clinic Assistants accrue the three
signatures in order to ensure that the providers receive the correct information.
Sep. 16th, 2014 – Clinical Reminder:
Clinic Assistants will not be responsible for completing “Family Planning Notes”. This skill has been removed from the
Clinic Assistant Special Skills Checklist.
Sep. 2nd, 2014 – Clinical Reminder:
Currently, the staff expects that the all of the following things are done:
1. Always make sure work-up rooms and exam rooms are well stocked. It is very frustrating for providers to
run out of tongue depressors, q-tips, speculums, etc.
**Judy has asked providers to give feedback on any room that is not well stocked
2. Always make sure everything works in the exam rooms (ex. table light, blood pressure cuffs (all sizes), etc.)
Along with this we are expected to always anticipate and perform the following:
**Please note that the Nursing Staff will perform all visual acuity exams and urine dips
 Visual Acuity if patient complains of eye problems
 Urine Dip if patient complains of ANY urinary complaint
 Blood Sugar for all diabetics
 Urine Dip for Blood Sugars 350 and over
As we move forward with Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH), there are expectations that are being established for
everyone in the care team. One goal of PCMH is to have everyone working at the top of their scope. Please remember
that the role of the Clinic Assistant is to help our Nursing Staff and Medical Providers to be as productive as
possible. There are many things that can be done to accomplish this, and little by little we will be working on
improvements to better support our providers.
Aug. 11th, 2014 – Next-Gen Reminder:
Only those volunteers that are Level II and attended the NextGen training should be entering in NextGen – unless
otherwise instructed by Clinic staff. Please make sure you are thorough in your documentation, and be sure to have the
Nursing Staff review your entries for any missing or incorrect information.
Jul. 28th, 2014 – Next-Gen Reminder:
Volunteers cannot chart under someone else’s Next-Gen Login. That is a HIPAA violation, which is viewed equally to
sharing one’s login. I understand that this can be inconvenient, but it is part of the privacy policies we must follow.
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To make sure that we are HIPAA compliant, the Volunteer Services Department will be working to make sure that all
Clinic Assistant volunteers have their own Next-Gen account. Please email us at VFCvolunteer@mednet.ucla.edu if you
have any questions or concerns!
Jul. 23rd, 2014 – Clinical Reminder:
Don’t forget to track your patient. It is very important to track patients, so that we know where the patient is during
their cycle time at the clinic. Once we finish our intake we must use tracking and change the status from “Appt. Kept”
to “Waiting for Provider”. If we do not change the status it will seem as if the patient waited forever to have vitals
done.
It’s ok if you don’t have a room. You can use “Waiting Room” as location but make sure we change status to “Waiting
for Provider”.
Jul. 17th, 2014 – Clinical Reminders:
1. Patient Labels: It was mentioned that the patient labels are falling off of the red sleeves and the charts. If you
happen to see a patient label on the floor, please pick it up! It is a HIPAA violation and a privacy issue to have the labels
on the floor.
2. Well Child Checks (WCC): We have had a couple of recent instances where Clinic Assistants have completed the vitals
for a Well Child Check (WCC) and the patient did not have the full work-up completed prior to seeing their
provider. Please double check your work and ask the staff for assistance, if needed!
Apr. 25th, 2014 – Clinical Reminder:
Remember to select additional assessments when a patient only comes in for a follow-up test or diagnostic results.
We can look at previous HPI’s for clues in chronic conditions. “Follow-Up test” should not be listed as the sole reason for
visit because follow-up tests are not billable.
Apr. 22nd, 2014 – Clinical Reminder:
Blue Charts indicate that a patient should be worked up by STAFF ONLY! Paper Charts are slowly disappearing, but
when there is a chart with a blue cover it that means that we’ve had some sort of issue with the patient, usually
behavioral and it is a visual cue that only staff should work-up that patient.
With EMR there will be a red alert box that appears on the upper left hand corner of the Intake OV template. You can
see what the alert is by clicking the box. It will tell you if the chart should be handled by staff only.
Apr. 22nd, 2014 – Clinical Reminder:
Get into the habit of reading the last visit Master IM Assessment/Plan! It’s a great way to anticipate the patient’s
needs and ensure that the patient has a complete work up. When working up your patient, remember to review the last
visit “Master IM” first to better prepare for the visit you are working on. Reviewing the Master IM will often help you to
see why the patient returned, and if the provider wants something done at this visit that you can perform before the
provider sees the patient.
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For example, I was working up a baby and when I asked mom why they were here, she said she was not sure. I looked at
the last visit Master IM and under Assessment/Plan the provider had written…Baby sound check at next visit. I was able
to have that done as part of the work up. On another occasion when the parent did not know why they were at clinic, I
read the last Master IM Assessment/Plan and the provider had written…..return to clinic for weight check. Viola! I had
the reason for the visit.
Apr. 18th, 2014 – Volunteer Dress Code Reminder:
Please adhere to the following Dress Code regulations:
For All Volunteers:
 Come dressed in business casual attire
 Appear generally neat and well-groomed (e.g. clothes should be free of wrinkles; hair should be tamed)
 Please refrain from wearing excessively-baggy clothing, shorts, sweatshirts, flip-flops, or revealing clothing
For Clinic Assistants:
 Scrubs are suggested instead of business attire
 Short, clean, and unpolished fingernails are preferred
 Shoes must be close-toed and water resistant (rubber preferred); please refrain from wearing Toms, Uggs,
or any other casual, cloth-based shoes
As a volunteer here at the Venice Family Clinic, you are representing the Clinic each time you come in for your shift and
we ask that you present yourself (and thus the Clinic) in a professional manner.
Mar. 11, 2014 – Clinical Reminder:
Please be mindful of the following situation, where we have to be careful which arm is selected for performing blood
pressures:
 Patients on dialysis will usually have a fistula and this arm should be avoided.
 A fistula is a surgically created venous access used for dialysis. It is very important to keep the fistula patent,
and therefore blood pressures should NEVER be performed on the arm with the fistula. Patients are informed of
this when the fistula is created. They should be very guarded and not let anyone perform a B/P on that arm.
As usual, always listen to your patient, they know best. Some patients might have preferences due to surgical histories
or other reasons.
Mar. 5, 2014 – Clinical Reminders:
1. Homeless Patient Screening – Next-Gen Procedure
During a recent chart review, it was determined that only 20% of the charts reviewed included the pertinent information
needed for the Homeless Adult Monthly Screening. Please remember to complete the Homeless Adult Monthly
Screening form in Next-Gen for every Homeless Patient. This information is very important, and we kindly request that
you complete all fields noted below. The orange arrows indicate the required fields.
2. Follow Up on ER Visit or Hospitalization
When a patient is being seen for follow-up on ER visit or hospitalization, PLEASE RECORD in the Chief Complaint the
NAME OF THE HOSPITAL where they were seen at! This information is extremely useful to our providers, so that they
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can look up the patient’s medical records before they see the patient. When recording this in Next-Gen, please enter
this information in the “Comments” field in HPI Detail. Please review the Next-Gen screen shot below. The orange box
indicates the field where you should be entering the name of the hospital where that patient was previously seen for an
ER visit or hospitalization.
3. NO BMI Plans
Effective immediately, we no longer need to calculate BMI plans for our overweight or obese patients. Please DO NOT
calculate BMI plans in Next-Gen. It interferes with our billing process. This may change in the future, as NextGen gets
updated. Please see the screen shot below. The orange box indicates where the “BMI Plan” prompt appears in NextGen (SKIP this step).
Feb. 12, 2014 – Clinical Reminder:
Patients that are in the Westside Partners Program (HIV Program) are to be worked up only by staff members in the
Nursing Department!
There are two major indicators that will help you to identify these patients:
First Indicator: “STAFF ONLY” indicated under the Details section of the Encounter Form
- The Encounter Form is a paper form that will either be on the patient’s chart or (if the patient does not
have a chart) in a red sleeve
- If you are not sure where to look for this indicator, please ask a staff person ASAP!
Second Indicator: RED ALERT FLAG on the Intake OV Screen in the upper left hand corner
- If you see this small red alert in NextGen, click on it and it will say “STAFF ONLY”
- You will only see this indicator if you have access to NextGen and failed to note the first indicator on the
Encounter Form
In both of the cases above, you will need to hand the chart and the patient over to a staff person immediately.
As always, please be sure to be thorough with your work. We have recently had charts that are incomplete (without all
vitals / missing information such as, smoking status, LMP, etc.)!
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