Histonetters: We are curious to find out how your facilities handle patients with alias names.
At our hospital, patients are somewhat frequently admitted with alias names in order to protect their privacy and/or safety (i.e., gunshot wounds, gang crime, etc.) . Usually their pathology is done without us ever knowing that there was an alias. So, we have slides and blocks that are labeled with an incorrect name along with the case number, etc. If the patient was in our system previously, they use their existing permanent medical record number. Upon discharge from our hospital computer system, these patients' medical records are merged or corrected somehow with the real name , and the name is updated in our pathology LIS and our clinical lab LIS. Occasionally the discharge is timed in such a way that the path report hasn't yet been signed out; therefore the slides, blocks, gross description, etc. all contain an alias name that appears as a discrepancy to the pathologist ( who sees the discharged patient's real name on the header of the typed gross paperwork.) Our pathologists are very uncomfortable with the slides and blocks having the alias name. What if they want to send out these materials to other facilities for consults? We don't get any report that shows a summary of aliases. What are your policies and procedures? Melanie S. White, MT(ASCP) Laboratory Supervisor, Systems/Anatomic Pathology McLeod Regional Medical Center (843) 777-2072 NOTICE: This e-mail message and all attachments transmitted with it may contain legally PRIVILEGED and CONFIDENTIAL information intended solely for the use of the addressee. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any reading, dissemination, distribution, copying, or other use of this message or its attachments is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately and/or notify the postmaster (postmas...@mcleodhealth.org), and delete this message and all copies and backups thereof. Thank You. _______________________________________________ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet