Patient Management¶

Complete guide to managing patient records in FHIR Electronic Medical Records

Overview¶

The Patient Management module handles:

Patient registration and demographics
Insurance and billing information
Emergency contacts
Medical record number (MRN) assignment
Patient search and filtering
Active/inactive status management

Creating a New Patient¶

Step 1: Navigate to Patients¶

Click Patients in the top navigation
Click Add New Patient button (top right)

Step 2: Enter Demographics¶

Required Fields: - First Name - Patient's given name - Last Name - Patient's family name - Date of Birth - Format: YYYY-MM-DD - Gender - Male, Female, Other, Unknown

Optional Fields: - Phone Number - Contact number - Email Address - For appointment reminders - Photo - Patient photo (upload)

Photo Upload

Photos help with patient identification. Recommended for pediatrics and elderly care.

Step 3: Add Contact Information¶

Address: - Street Address - City - State/Province - Postal Code - Country

Step 4: Emergency Contact¶

Emergency Contact Information: - Contact Name - Relationship (Spouse, Parent, Sibling, etc.) - Phone Number

Always Complete Emergency Contact

Required for patient safety. Verify phone number is current.

Step 5: Insurance Details¶

Insurance Information: - Insurance Provider - Policy Number - Group Number (if applicable)

Step 6: Clinical Information¶

Blood Group: - A+, A-, B+, B-, O+, O-, AB+, AB- - Display prominently in patient bar

Status: - Active - Currently receiving care - Inactive - No longer active patient

Step 7: Save Patient¶

Click Save Patient button.

System Actions: - Generates unique MRN (Medical Record Number) - Creates FHIR Patient resource - Stores in database - Redirects to patient overview

Patient Overview Page¶

After creating a patient, you see the patient overview with:

Patient Identity Bar¶

Always visible at top: - Patient name (large, bold) - MRN (click to copy) - Age, Gender, Blood Group - Active/Inactive status - Back to Patient Chart button

Color-coded left border: - Blue - Male patients - Pink - Female patients - Purple - Other/Unknown

Dashboard › Patients › John Doe

Always shows current location in application.

Clinical Tabs¶

Quick access to all patient records:

Overview - Summary dashboard
Allergies - Known allergies/intolerances
History - Family medical history
Visits - Encounters and appointments
Problems - Active diagnoses/conditions
Medications - Current prescriptions
Procedures - Surgical history
Labs - Test orders and results
Documents - Clinical documents

Searching for Patients¶

Quick Search¶

Search Bar (top right): - Type patient name, MRN, or phone - Real-time filtering - Click result to open

Advanced Filters¶

Filter by: - Gender - Age range - Active/Inactive status - Blood group - Last visit date

Sort by: - Name (A-Z or Z-A) - Date of birth (newest/oldest) - Last visit date - MRN

Editing Patient Information¶

Update Demographics¶

Open patient overview
Click Edit Patient button
Modify fields as needed
Click Save Changes

Update Status¶

Deactivate Patient: 1. Edit patient 2. Change Status to "Inactive" 3. Save

Inactive Patients

Inactive patients: - Remain in system (data preserved) - Appear in search with filter - Cannot book new appointments - Can be reactivated anytime

Patient Safety Features¶

MRN Verification¶

Click-to-Copy MRN: - Click MRN chip in patient bar - Copies to clipboard - Toast notification confirms - Use for phone verification

Gender Color Coding¶

Visual patient identification: - Blue border - Male - Pink border - Female - Helps prevent wrong-patient errors

Sticky Patient Context¶

Patient bar stays visible when scrolling: - Always see who you're treating - Reduces documentation errors - Quick reference to demographics

FHIR Patient Resource¶

Resource Structure¶

{
  "resourceType": "Patient",
  "id": "patient-123",
  "identifier": [
    {
      "use": "official",
      "system": "urn:oid:2.16.840.1.113883.3.1",
      "value": "MRN-12345"
    }
  ],
  "active": true,
  "name": [
    {
      "use": "official",
      "family": "Doe",
      "given": ["John", "Robert"]
    }
  ],
  "telecom": [
    {
      "system": "phone",
      "value": "+1-555-123-4567",
      "use": "mobile"
    },
    {
      "system": "email",
      "value": "john.doe@example.com"
    }
  ],
  "gender": "male",
  "birthDate": "1980-01-15",
  "address": [
    {
      "use": "home",
      "line": ["123 Main Street"],
      "city": "Springfield",
      "state": "IL",
      "postalCode": "62701",
      "country": "USA"
    }
  ],
  "contact": [
    {
      "relationship": [
        {
          "coding": [
            {
              "system": "http://terminology.hl7.org/CodeSystem/v2-0131",
              "code": "C",
              "display": "Emergency Contact"
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "name": {
        "family": "Doe",
        "given": ["Jane"]
      },
      "telecom": [
        {
          "system": "phone",
          "value": "+1-555-987-6543"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

API Endpoints¶

Get Patient:

GET /api/fhir/Patient/{id}

Search Patients:

GET /api/fhir/Patient?name=Doe
GET /api/fhir/Patient?birthdate=1980-01-15
GET /api/fhir/Patient?identifier=MRN-12345

Create Patient:

POST /api/fhir/Patient
Content-Type: application/fhir+json

Update Patient:

PUT /api/fhir/Patient/{id}
Content-Type: application/fhir+json

Common Workflows¶

New Patient Registration¶

graph TD
    A[Patient Arrives] --> B[Verify Insurance]
    B --> C[Create Patient Record]
    C --> D[Assign MRN]
    D --> E[Add Emergency Contact]
    E --> F[Upload Photo]
    F --> G[Print Patient Card]

    style C fill:#14b8a6
    style D fill:#14b8a6

Patient Check-In¶

graph TD
    A[Search Patient by MRN] --> B[Verify Demographics]
    B --> C[Update Contact Info if Needed]
    C --> D[Verify Insurance]
    D --> E[Create Appointment]
    E --> F[Start Encounter]

    style A fill:#14b8a6
    style F fill:#14b8a6

Best Practices¶

Data Entry¶

✅ Do: - Verify patient identity before data entry - Use consistent name formatting - Validate phone numbers - Update insurance at every visit - Add patient photos when possible

❌ Don't: - Create duplicate patient records - Leave emergency contact blank - Use abbreviations in names - Forget to set blood group if known

Patient Privacy¶

Only access records when clinically necessary
Log out when leaving workstation
Don't share patient information verbally in public areas
Use patient identifier (MRN) instead of name in unsecured communications

Data Quality¶

Regular Audits: - Check for duplicate patients monthly - Verify emergency contacts quarterly - Update inactive patients annually - Clean up test/dummy patients

Troubleshooting¶

Cannot Find Patient¶

Check: 1. Spelling of name (try variations) 2. Search by MRN if known 3. Check inactive patient filter 4. Search by phone or DOB

Duplicate Patients¶

Merge Process: 1. Identify both records 2. Determine master record 3. Transfer all clinical data 4. Mark duplicate as inactive 5. Add note about merge

Contact Administrator

Patient merging requires admin privileges and careful data validation.

MRN Already Exists¶

If MRN conflict: - System auto-generates unique MRN - Cannot manually assign existing MRN - Check if patient already in system

Next Steps¶

Clinical Records - Add diagnoses and allergies
Prescriptions - Write prescriptions
Allergies & Safety - Record allergies
Reports - Generate patient reports