Epic Skills Assessment Order Entry and Results 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In Epic, a 'Soft Stop' BPA (Best Practice Advisory) when placing an order differs from a 'Hard Stop' in that it:
- Requires a pharmacist override
- Allows the provider to acknowledge and proceed with the order (Correct answer)
- Completely prevents the order from being placed
- Only appears for controlled substances
Correct answer: Allows the provider to acknowledge and proceed with the order
A Soft Stop BPA warns the provider but allows them to override and continue placing the order after acknowledging the alert.
Question 2: What information does the 'Collected' timestamp on a lab result in Epic represent?
- When the order was placed by the provider
- When the specimen was obtained from the patient (Correct answer)
- When the result was verified by the lab
- When the provider reviewed the result
Correct answer: When the specimen was obtained from the patient
The Collected timestamp records the exact time the specimen was taken from the patient, which is critical for time-sensitive tests.
Question 3: A provider is placing an order for a controlled substance in Epic. Which additional step is commonly required compared to non-controlled medications?
- Selecting a diagnosis code
- Entering a DEA number or completing a two-factor attestation (Correct answer)
- Sending a fax to the pharmacy
- Obtaining a department supervisor override
Correct answer: Entering a DEA number or completing a two-factor attestation
Controlled substance orders often require the provider to confirm their DEA credentials or complete an additional attestation step for regulatory compliance.
Question 4: In Epic, 'Order Acknowledgment' refers to the provider action of:
- Approving a pending order for pharmacy dispensing
- Confirming that they have reviewed a resulted order or critical value (Correct answer)
- Co-signing a verbal order
- Activating a future-dated order early
Correct answer: Confirming that they have reviewed a resulted order or critical value
Order acknowledgment is the provider's confirmation that they have seen and reviewed a result or notification, closing the loop on the result.
Question 5: Which of the following is a key benefit of using preference lists when ordering in Epic?
- They automatically submit orders without provider review
- They allow providers to quickly access their most-used orders in one place (Correct answer)
- They restrict ordering to only evidence-based options
- They route orders directly to billing
Correct answer: They allow providers to quickly access their most-used orders in one place
Preference lists store a provider's frequently used orders, reducing the time needed to search for and configure common orders.
Question 6: When a lab result is marked 'Preliminary' in Epic, it means:
- The result has been fully verified and finalized
- An initial result is available but may be updated after further analysis (Correct answer)
- The specimen was rejected and a recollection is needed
- The result is pending provider acknowledgment
Correct answer: An initial result is available but may be updated after further analysis
Preliminary results are available for clinical use but have not yet been fully verified by the lab and may be revised to a final result.
Question 7: A provider needs to place a medication order that will only be given if a patient meets a specific condition (e.g., temperature > 38.5°C). This type of order is called a:
- Standing order
- Conditional or PRN order (Correct answer)
- Protocol order
- Scheduled order
Correct answer: Conditional or PRN order
PRN (pro re nata) or conditional orders are administered only when specific patient conditions or parameters are met, not on a fixed schedule.
Epic Skills Assessment Order Entry and Results 5
In Epic, a 'Soft Stop' BPA (Best Practice Advisory) when placing an order differs from a 'Hard Stop' in that it: