What we taught the users to do in the VA was to not enter the full name for lookup. Enter a partial portion of the name and then pick from the list of choices. If the user has the authority to add new entries to the file, then entering the full name during lookup causes a proliferation of duplicate entries which now have to be merge which is a very messy process.
If I want to lookup John Q Smith, I would enter "SMITH,JO" and then select from the list. The users should always be encouraged to always try to find a existing patient match before entering a new PATIENT file entry. If the name lookup fails, then do a lookup by SSN, <last initial>(last 4 ssn>, med rec number, whatever. Date entry clerks should be trained to be a sure as possible that the patient does not exist in the database before adding a new entry. I will use a real example that happened to me yesterday. I called to schedule my dental appt. They could not find me even though I had been there many times. Fortunately, another staff intervened. I was on the phone for about 5 minutes or more to just schedule an appt. But that was better than entering me twice. The had entered my last name as "MC PHELAN" instead of "MCPHELAN". That one space caused the first staff person to not find my records. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Kevin Toppenberg" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <hardhats-members@lists.sourceforge.net> Sent: Tuesday, January 04, 2005 10:23 PM Subject: RE: [Hardhats-members] Unusual search failure. > I can understand why the trailing period is trimmed > off. > > Regarding Steve's comment below about not seeing a > problem with being unable to find a patient later > because of an added period, does he really expect all > the users of the system to remember the input > transform rules for a given field? I find that to be > user-unfriendly. > > Thanks > Kevin > > --- Cameron Schlehuber <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > wrote: > > > I don't know all the reasons for how punctuation in > > names is managed to help > > standardize the name parts, but an effort was made > > to come closer to the HL7 > > standard. > > > > Steve, note that the problem is that the lookup > > routine (DPTLK, not > > FileMan's DIC) is failing to perform the input > > transform prior to a lookup. > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > On Behalf Of Thurman > > Pedigo > > Sent: Monday, January 03, 2005 7:30 PM > > To: hardhats-members@lists.sourceforge.net > > Subject: RE: [Hardhats-members] Unusual search > > failure. > > > > I have an older version of the patient file that > > allows lower case and "." > > (can't be sure someone local didn't make that > > change). I wonder if there > > isn't some good reason for that change. For > > instance, the postal service > > seems to like upper case letters for scanners and > > routing - I think they > > even give a price break. Or is it indexing, > > efficient lookups, or > > duplications that drive the strategy. Wonder if the > > magnitude of the VA > > database has any influence. Not hard to figure that > > with an average of 20 > > characters per name, adding one character increases > > database five percent. > > > > Anyone know the rational behind why the patient file > > changed? > > > > thurman > > > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > [mailto:hardhats- > > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of > > steven mcphelan > > > Sent: Monday, January 03, 2005 7:39 PM > > > To: hardhats-members@lists.sourceforge.net > > > Subject: Re: [Hardhats-members] Unusual search > > failure. > > > > > > It looks to me that the input transform is doing > > what it is programmed to > > > do, even though one may not agree with it. It was > > changed that way to > > > standardized the name format. Kevin is coming > > back later trying to look > > > up > > > the name with a trailing period. The input > > transform strips off those > > > punctuation characters before filing the name. So > > a full name with a > > > trailing period will not and should not be found > > by Fileman. As Kevin has > > > shown, the full name without the trailing > > punctuation character is found. > > > So I do not see a problem here. > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > > From: "Kevin Toppenberg" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > To: <hardhats-members@lists.sourceforge.net> > > > Sent: Monday, January 03, 2005 7:27 PM > > > Subject: RE: [Hardhats-members] Unusual search > > failure. > > > > > > > > > > OK. Sounds good. > > > > > > > > Thanks > > > > Kevin > > > > > > > > --- Cameron Schlehuber <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > > wrote: > > > > > > > > > You're right! The way it works on the Patient > > file > > > > > isn't the way it should > > > > > be! It works correctly on the New Person > > file. > > > > > I'll submit a NOIS for that > > > > > problem. > > > > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > > > From: > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > > > > > > > > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > On Behalf Of Kevin > > > > > Toppenberg > > > > > Sent: Monday, January 03, 2005 3:19 PM > > > > > To: hardhats-members@lists.sourceforge.net > > > > > Subject: RE: [Hardhats-members] Unusual search > > > > > failure. > > > > > > > > > > But this sets up a situation where the process > > of > > > > > converting from external to internal form > > causes the > > > > > name to get "lost". I.e. I put a name into > > the > > > > > database, then search for that same name and > > find it > > > > > has "disappeared." > > > > > > > > > > By looking at that transform you mention, I > > see that > > > > > I > > > > > can use: set > > INTNAME=$$FORMAT^DPTNAME(.PATNAME,3,30) > > > > > and then search for INTNAME -- but this is far > > from > > > > > user friendly. Why doesn't the search system > > do > > > > > this > > > > > external-to-internal conversion automatically > > before > > > > > searching? > > > > > > > > > > Anyway, thanks for your help. > > > > > > > > > > Kevin > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > --- Cameron Schlehuber > > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > > > wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > Note as the Description (on the .01 field in > > the > > > > > New > > > > > > Person file) states, > > > > > > the "value must be 3-35 characters in length > > and > > > > > may > > > > > > contain only uppercase > > > > > > alpha characters, spaces, apostrophes, > > hyphens and > > > > > > one comma. All other > > > > > > characters and parenthetical text will be > > > > > removed." > > > > > > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > > > > From: > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > > On Behalf Of Walton, > > > > > > Edward NMN(WSH) > > > > > > Sent: Monday, January 03, 2005 12:57 PM > > > > > > To: 'hardhats-members@lists.sourceforge.net' > > > > > > Subject: RE: [Hardhats-members] Unusual > > search > > > > > > failure. > > > > > > > > > > > > Did you mean ^DPT the ^VA(200 file is the > > > > > newperson > > > > > > file? > > > > > > > > > > > > Ed > > > > > > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > > > > From: Kevin Toppenberg > > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > > Sent: Monday, January 03, 2005 10:41 AM > > > > > > To: Hardhats Sourceforge > > > > > > Subject: [Hardhats-members] Unusual search > > > > > failure. > > > > > > > > > > > > Hey all, > > > > > > > > > > > > I thought I was getting the hang of fileman, > > but I > > > > > > have found a quirk that I > > > > > > don't understand. > > > > > > > > > > > > I add a patient with UPDATE^DIE. The > > patient's > > > > > name > > > > > > is specified to be > > > > > > "DOE,JOHN P." This happens with no problem. > > When > > > > > I > > > > > > look in ^VA(200, I can > > > === message truncated === > > > > > __________________________________ > Do you Yahoo!? > Meet the all-new My Yahoo! - Try it today! > http://my.yahoo.com > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------- > The SF.Net email is sponsored by: Beat the post-holiday blues > Get a FREE limited edition SourceForge.net t-shirt from ThinkGeek. > It's fun and FREE -- well, almost....http://www.thinkgeek.com/sfshirt > _______________________________________________ > Hardhats-members mailing list > Hardhats-members@lists.sourceforge.net > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/hardhats-members ------------------------------------------------------- The SF.Net email is sponsored by: Beat the post-holiday blues Get a FREE limited edition SourceForge.net t-shirt from ThinkGeek. 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