Taming In Basket - More Message Types Set to Auto-Expire

Enhancement updates provide short alerts to new, fixed or improved Connect Care functions...

• Taming In Basket - More Message Types Set to Auto-Expire

Clinical information systems have increased the volumes of messages prescribers and other users need to manage, and AHS is committed to making adjustments to reduce clutter and increase In Basket message relevance. The "Taming In Basket" project was launched to identify In Basket messages that can be safely auto-expired, to reduce the volume of existing In Basket messages and to empower users to use In Basket efficiently.

As previously posted, in October 2024 the first batch of In Basket message types were set to auto-expire. As of June 2, 2025, the second batch of In Basket message types will be set to auto-expire, some after 90 days and some after 180 days, as indicated below:

• In Basket message types will auto-expire after 90 days:
• Chart Correction Requests
• Letter Queue
• Note Routing
• Overdue Results
• Patient Clinical Update 
• Patient Questionnaires 
• Radiant
• Referral Message
• Referral Notification Letter
• Result Notes
• Staff Message
• In Basket message types will auto-expire after 180 days: 
• My Open Charts
• My Open Encounters
• Nurse Triage Encounter
• Patient Advice Request
• Patient Calls 
• Rx Request
• Studies to Sign

Please note that this change will be effective moving forward only. Messages older than 90 or 180 days that currently exist in users’ In Baskets will not be affected. Messages older than 90 days will be removed from users’ In Baskets in September 2025, and those older than 180 days will be removed in December 2025 (further communication will be shared at those times).

Furthermore, any messages that users postponed utilizing "Follow up" functionality will be included in the auto-expiry rule only after the date the message comes back to the My Messages space (e.g., if a message with 90-day auto-expiration is postponed today for 3 days, the 90-day countdown will resume 3 days from today; if the user manually returns the message to the My Messages space before the 3 days have passed, the 90-day countdown resumes at that time).

For more information on In Basket, please see the Quick Start Guide:

• Guide: In Basket Best Practices Quick Start Guide

Taming In Basket - Removal of Messages Older Than 90 Days

Enhancement updates provide short alerts to new, fixed or improved Connect Care functions...

• Taming In Basket - Removal of Messages >90 Days

Clinical information systems have increased the volumes of messages prescribers and other users need to manage, and AHS is committed to making adjustments to reduce clutter and increase In Basket message relevance. The "Taming In Basket" project was launched to identify In Basket messages that can be safely auto-expired, to reduce the volume of existing In Basket messages and to empower users to use In Basket efficiently.

As previously posted, in October 2024 the first batch of In Basket message types were set to auto-expire after 90 days but, at that time, messages older than 90 days that were already in users' In Baskets were not removed. As of January 21, 2025, messages of the following types that are older than 90 days will be removed from users' In Basket view in Hyperspace. The decluttered view will make it easier for users to action new and task-oriented messages.

• Appointment Notification 
• Case Message 
• Covered Work 
• Media Manager 
• OOC Notification
• BestPractice 
• Addendum Notification
• Rx Response
• Pt Admitted/Discharged
• Canceled Orders

Please note that messages will only be removed from users’ In Basket view; all messages will still be retained in databases in case they need to be retrieved in the future for legal/privacy/etc. investigation.

For more information on In Basket, please see the Quick Start Guide:

• Guide: In Basket Best Practices Quick Start Guide

Auto-expiry of Additional In Basket Message Types

Enhancement updates provide short alerts to new, fixed or improved Connect Care functions...

• Auto-expiry of Additional In Basket Message Types

Clinical information systems have increased the volumes of messages prescribers and other users need to manage. AHS is committed to reducing clutter and increasing In Basket message relevance. Accordingly, the "Taming In Basket" project was launched to identify In Basket messages that can be safely auto-expired, to reduce the volume of existing messages and to empower users to use In Basket efficiently. Approvals have been obtained for the first batch of In Basket messages to be set to auto-expire.

As of October 3, 2024, the following In Basket message types will be set to auto-expire after 90 days:

• Appointment Notification 
• Case Message 
• Covered Work 
• Media Manager 
• OOC Notification
• BestPractice 
• Addendum Notification
• Rx Response
• Pt Admitted/Discharged
• Canceled Orders

Please note that this change will be effective moving forward only. Messages older than 90 days that currently exist in users’ In Baskets will not be affected. Messages older than 90 days will be removed from users’ In Baskets in January 2025 (further communication will be shared at that time). Also note that the above message types are in addition to the message types that are already set up to auto-expire. Currently, Timeout Msg expire in 3 days; Inpatient Notifications, Results Notifications, and ED Notifications in 30 days; and MyChart Notifications in 60 days.

• Tip: With the recent Fall Upgrade, users are now able to opt in/out from many more message types. In In Basket, click on "Preferences", then "Message Settings", and then select or deselect the message types you want or no longer want to receive.

Admission and Discharge Notification Updates

Enhancement updates provide short alerts to new, fixed or improved Connect Care functions...

• Admission and Discharge Notification Updates

As of September 18, 2024, an update will allow prescribers to choose whether or not they want to receive In Basket notifications for the following patient movement events: Inpatient (IP) Discharge, Emergency Department (ED)/Observation Bed (Obs) Arrival, and ED/Obs Discharge.

• If a prescriber already has notifications turned on for IP Admission or External Outpatient Visit (i.e., has "Yes" selected under "Receive Message Notifications by Default"; click the camera icon below to see the screenshot), notifications for these additional patient movement events will be turned on by default.
• If a prescriber does not already have notifications turned on for IP Admission or External Outpatient Visit (i.e., has "No" selected under "Receive Message Notifications by Default"), notifications for these additional patient movement events will not be turned on by default.

To update your In Basket notifications to opt in or out of these new notifications, see the tip sheet.

• Tip: Setting Care Team Notification Preferences

In Basket Update - Inpatient Cosign Notes Folder

Enhancement updates provide short alerts to new, fixed or improved Connect Care functions...

• Removal of Defer Button from Cosign Notes Folder

As of July 12, 2024, in In Basket, the "Defer" button that appears when within the inpatient "Cosign Notes" folder will be removed (click on the camera icon to see a screenshot). Previously, clicking on this button to indicate that the provider was not the appropriate cosigner would cause an error.

If you receive a request for cosign in error, either reply to the sender to indicate you are not the appropriate cosigner, or forward to the appropriate provider (if known).

In Basket Update - Co-Sign and Incomplete Notes Folders

Enhancement updates provide short alerts to new, fixed or improved Connect Care functions...

• Co-Sign and Incomplete Notes In Basket Folders

Summative notes authored by trainees require a co-signature from the appropriate prescriber. This contrasts with progress notes, which do not require a co-signature. Often trainees will be asked to, or be in the habit of, having their progress notes cosigned. To date, a corresponding In Basket folder with co-sign messages has not been visible, making it difficult for prescribers to complete the co-sign action. Rather, a deficiency notification was triggered, and the co-sign deficiency would be visible in the "Chart Completion" folder. 

As of October 17, 2023, "Co-Sign Notes" and "Incomplete Notes" In Basket folders will become visible to those prescribers that Supervised Trainees have selected as Co-Signers, when a note needs to be co-signed.

• The Co-Sign Notes and Incomplete Notes folders will only display in the co-signing prescriber's In Basket if there are messages in them. 
• Each notification in the Co-Sign Notes and Incomplete Notes folders will include information about the patient and document type, and action buttons are provided to allow users to complete the task of co-signing/completing the note, similar to notifications in the Chart Completion folder. 
• Prescribers will continue to see deficiencies in the Chart Completion folder; in addition, a notification will be visible in the Co-Sign Notes or Incomplete Notes folder. When the deficiency is managed via chart completion, the corresponding message will be removed from the Co-Sign Notes or Incomplete Notes folder.
• Since outpatient encounters are closed when the scheduled prescriber signs the visit, outpatient/ambulatory (progress) notes should not be identified as requiring a co-signature. Outstanding co-sign messages for ambulatory notes will be removed prior to this change; incomplete notes will remain in the "Incomplete Notes" Folder.

For more information on how to manage notifications in the Co-Sign Notes and Incomplete Notes folders:

• Manual: Chart Completion Messages

In Basket Update - Cancelled Lab Orders

Enhancement updates provide short alerts to new, fixed or improved Connect Care functions...

• New Submitter Column for Cancelled Lab Orders

As of February 9, 2023, In Basket notices of cancelled labs will have a "Submitter" column. While all users will see this field, the additional information will be particularly helpful for mixed-context prescribers, as an easy way to identify if the result had been sent to their community clinic, where they would normally manage lab cancellations. If there is not a submitter associated with the result, the field will remain blank. 

How to Manage Misdirected In Basket Results

Problem: Laboratory results can occasionally get misdirected. The affected prescriber may see In Basket notifications about patients that are not within the prescriber's circle of care. Indeed, reviewing this information inappropriately could constitute a privacy breach. What to do?

Considerations: In Basket messages that link to patient health information should relate to patients with whom the receiving prescriber has, has had, or will have an approved relationship (circle of care, quality or research).

Test results may be delivered to a prescriber's In Basket "Results" folder because of an automated routing scheme, or because the recipient was explicitly copied on the result. Results may also be delivered if the receiving provider is:

• a member of the patient’s Care Team and configured to receive results,
• signed into a results review message pool,
• supervising a medical learner, or
• the most responsible provider at the time of discharge for results reporting after the time of discharge.

Results that are believed to have been received in error should be reviewed to determine if any of these conditions apply before taking action to flag a misdirected result.

Solution: The Connect Care In Basket has a "QuickActions" tool that allows prescribers to manage results received in error. 

Select (click on) the In Basket result notification and then look to the button bar at the top of the result display. The "QuickActions" pick-list is in the left-most position. 

• Not My Result

• Use this action if the result was misdirected and should not have been routed to the recipient's In Basket, even if the provider has participated in the patient's care at some point.
• The Result Note window will open and the provider will be required to complete two SmartLists (use F2 to find and use pick-list) to indicate why the result is being marked as received in error and what, if any, steps have been taken to remediate.
• If none of the available pick-list options fit,  select "other" and provide a brief comment to better explain the issue and what has been or should be done.
• Upon completing the two SmartLists and accepting the message, the result note will be re-routed to an internal results routing error pool for review and action.
• The associated In Basket message will disappear.

• Tip: Results Management - Misdirected Results
• Manual: Misdirected Result Messages

In Basket - Attachments for Patient Messages

Enhancement updates provide short alerts to new, fixed or improved Connect Care functions...

• Adding Attachments to In Basket Patient Messages 

As of November 4, 2021, attaching documents to a patient message in In Basket has been simplified. 

To attach a document to an In Basket patient message, initiate a patient message from its menu item (available only for patients with an activated MyChart patient portal service), then in the "Patient Message" screen:

1. Select the "+Add" button in the "Attachment" row of the "Tasks & Attachments" section.
2. From the "Media Selector" window that opens, select the desired document to be attached:
• Attaching a Connect Care document: In the "Detailed View" tab, the "All Media" list shows all media available in Connect Care for that patient (including scanned/imported files), with document types and descriptions. Select the desired document and click the "Accept" button.
• Attaching a document from your device: Click the "Browse" tab (to the right of "Detailed View"). In the "Open" window that pops up, click "This PC", select the desired document, and click the "Open" button. Add a description in the "Description" field (note: the patient will see this description). 
• The document type will automatically fill in as "Provider Attachment".

For more information:

• Guide: In Basket Best Practices Manual - Sending Secure Messages to Patients
• FAQ: Does Connect Care In Basket or Secure Chat support attachments?
• Manual: In Basket
• Manual: Patient Portal Messages
• Manual: Media Manager

"New Encounter" Button added to In-Basket Results Review

Enhancement updates provide short alerts to new, fixed or improved Connect Care functions...

• "New Encounter" In-Basket Speed Button

A speed button for “New Encounter” is added for use in In-Basket Results Review workflows. This complements the existing "Encounter" speed button, which allows prescribers to jump into the patient chart, at the correct encounter, when results are reviewed. It can help to check the clinical context when considering the significance of a new result.

However, sometimes the result is of such significance that the prescriber may wish to create a new documentation, orders-only, telephone or other encounter(s) to capture information about the finding or any actions required. This is what the "New Encounter" button speeds up.

The new speed button was added to Results Review in response to optimization requests.