Updates to Message Center

Clients can print case information and client internal notes prior to submitting a response to Mayo Clinic Laboratories

When the client user clicks the Print icon (printer in circle at top right) to open the Print window, the Internal Instructions dialog box appears. Completing the text field in this dialog box is optional. When the user begins entering internal notes in this field, the ghost text disappears. The character limit for the field is 2,000. When the user prints the DETAILS page, the notes appear in a blue box on the printout. They will not be saved as a draft in the case, and therefore, Mayo Clinic Laboratories will not be able to view them. Users do not have to fill out the Internal Instructions dialog box. They can simply click the CONTINUE button, and the page will print without internal instructions the blue box. Alternatively, the user can click the CANCEL button or the X at the top right to return to the DETAILS page without printing.

Updates to Message Center

• Closed cases can now be assigned or unassigned to a user. As a user, you can change the assignment of a Closed Case when follow-up work is needed.
• When requesting a Test Add-On, you will be able to see previous Ask at Order Entry (AOE) questions (if the information exists), allowing you to reuse that information for a new Test Add-On request if needed. You can click and drag the original AOE to the new Test Add-On AOE box.

Contact Customer Service with questions or concerns.

Updates to Message Center functionality

Message Center has been enhanced to include new capabilities:

• Alerts
• Transportation alerts

Alerts

A redesign of the landing page includes three categories — Alert, Messages, and Archived. The Alert category includes a Transportation subtab and Messages category includes 'All,' 'New,' 'Sent to Mayo,' and 'Complete' subtabs.

The number of cases showing on the category tab will match the number on the subtab that the client is viewing. For example, if five cases are listed in the “New” subtab, the Messages category tab will show five cases. If there are two cases listed in the “Sent to Mayo” subtab, the Messages category tab will show two cases.

Transportation Alerts

Users can check the Transportation subtab in the Alert category within the Message Center for updates regarding transportation. They will not be able to respond to the notes in the Alert categories, as these are information only that the client may need to act on. If a case is urgent, the client will see a red exclamation point with a red bar to the left of the case.

Holidays that require a change in specimen transportation schedules are an example of these alerts. Clients may need to hold specimens if MCL cannot coordinate specimen transportation due to holiday closures. Another example would be if severe weather impacts specimen transport. We may send out a notice to clients that they need to act on, such as holding specimens or shipping specimens earlier than their scheduled pick-up time due to weather, but it wouldn’t require the client to respond to the notice.  

• Users will be able to assign and archive alerts.
• Users will be able to print the Transportation alert.
• The Alert Transportation subject types that users will see are weather and holiday alerts. Courier and active shipment alerts will be added later.

Details page

Details page as a printable PDF

Transportation delay emails

Transportation delay emails are enabled by default, so users can opt out of receiving the email alerts.

Sample of the email message.

The daily summary emails will include a link to the Message Center for transportation alerts.

Updates to Message Center functionality

Message Center has been enhanced to include new capabilities:

• Inquiry message subject line on the Details page
• Case Inquiry Subject Line Details Page
• Case Inquiry Subject Line Landing Page Search
• Filter for urgent messages

Inquiry message subject line on the DETAILS page

We are introducing a subject line feature in inquiry messages with a character limit of 50. Users can provide a concise summary or title for their inquiry. Once the inquiry is submitted, the subject line will appear in the Tests column on the landing page.

This useful addition can improve the user experience by making it easier to search for cases on the landing page, to refer to specific messages later, or to quickly determine the contents of the user's inquiry.

Case Inquiry Subject Line Details Page

Case Inquiry Subject Line Landing Page Search

Filter for urgent messages

Users will be able to filter for urgent cases in the Status column. 

Enhancements to Message Center

Message Center has been enhanced to include:

• Test Add-On authorization
• Test Add-On barcodes for couriers
• Visual indicators for urgent cases

Test Add-On authorization

Mayo Clinic Laboratories is updating the process for requesting a test add-on to an order. With this change, an authorized requestor for your organization must attest to the following when they request a test add-on for an order: 

I am authorized to request additional testing on this specimen on behalf of the ordering provider. I understand that additional charges will be applied, and provider signature(s) and related documentation shall be made available to Mayo Clinic Laboratories upon request. 

Add-on testing requests cannot be submitted without a completed attestation.

Test Add-On barcodes for couriers

When a Test Add-On has been requested and an additional sample is to be sent from the client site, users will see a new PDF when they click the Print link.

The form will include barcodes for courier scanning and internal processing. 

Urgent cases

Urgent cases that require a client response within 24 hours will have visual indicators in red on the landing and DETAILS pages.

• On the landing page, users will see exclamation points (!) in the STATUS KEY and Status column, and the Actions column will have a bold red left border.
• On the DETAILS page, the exclamation point will appear at the top left, to the left of the message type. It will also appear at the top of the DISCUSSION section, followed by “Response required within 24 hours” in red text.

These cases require a client response within 24 hours. If there is no response within this timeframe, Mayo Clinic Laboratories will call the client for additional information.

Contact Customer Service with questions or concerns.

Updates to Message Center

Message Center has been enhanced to include:

• Adding distribution lists/emails to Message Center
• Summary emails
• New search options for test add-on and test cancel
• Message Center bug fixes

Adding distribution lists/emails to Message Center: 

Message Center users can send email notifications to a distribution list or email address(es) other than their own. This functionality will be available at the account (admin) level versus the user level in Message Center and requires the new “Message Center Account Preferences” permission for associated account numbers. Clients can request this permission by contacting Customer Support or a regional sales representative or lab resource coordinator.

Once a user has permission, they can add an email address, including distribution lists, to receive Message Center emails. 

1. On the Message Center landing page, at top right, click the gear icon. 

A new Account tab will be available in addition to the User. If the Account tab is not visible, please verify that the user has the Message Center Account Preferences permission for that account number. 

2. On the Account tab, add a distribution list or other email address(es) to receive Message Center emails. Note that the notification settings on the Account tab operate the same as those in User settings. 

Summary emails

Both user- and account-level Summary emails now include the account number in the subject. The Awaiting Response and Unfulfilled Requests links display the Message Center messages for the account number that matches the Summary email.

NOTE: User- and account-level summary emails have different instructions for opting out, as shown:

New search options for test add-on and test cancel

When creating a NEW MESSAGE, users will have additional search options: patient's first name, last name, Medical Record Number (MRN), and/or date of birth. This search functionality will help narrow down the search results and facilitate the process of requesting a Test Add-On or Cancellation.

Message Center bug fixes

If a user had the Message Center Access permission and opted in to receive summary emails, then left that position and had their Message Center Access permission removed, they would continue to receive summary email notifications and have no way to opt-out.

This bug has been fixed, so they will no longer receive Message Center summary emails if their Message Center Access permission is revoked.

Users will no longer be able to hide the Case Id column when using the Hide/Show Columns drop-down menu. This change ensures that the Case Id is always visible, providing the link needed to view the DETAILS page.

Message Center enhancements on mayocliniclabs.com

Message Center users can now assign/unassign users to a message and archive previous messages. Here are some important details and instructions to help you make the most of these features.

Assigning/unassign messages

To assign a message, you have three options: the ALL tab, the NEW tab, or the DETAILS page. Please note that you can't assign messages on the SENT TO MAYO, COMPLETE, or ARCHIVED tabs.

To assign a user:

• Find the message you want to assign.
• In the Actions column, click the ASSIGN button.
• The ASSIGN dialog box will appear.
• Choose one of these options:
  • Select the user's name from the drop-down menu. (Only users with Message Center access can be assigned a message.)
  • Type the user's name in the text field and select it from the list.

• By default, the "Email user of assignment" checkbox is checked, sending a notification email. Uncheck the box if you don't want to send an email.
• Click ASSIGN or CANCEL to proceed.
• Once assigned, the user's name will appear in the Case Id column on the landing page.

• To remove the assignment, click the UNASSIGN button.

By following these steps, you can easily assign and manage message assignments within the system.

Archiving messages

Here's how it works:

• To archive a message, you can use the ARCHIVE button on the ALL or COMPLETE tabs or the DETAILS page.

• When you click the ARCHIVE button, the message will be moved to the ARCHIVED tab and the button will change to UNARCHIVE.
• Archived messages won't be visible or searchable on the ALL tab.
• On the COMPLETE tab, you can archive all messages on the page by clicking the ARCHIVE ALL button.

• If you need to bring back an archived message, you can unarchive it from the ARCHIVED tab or the DETAILS page, and it will return to the COMPLETE tab.

Additionally, the DETAILS page will display the user's name, along with the date and time of message archiving or unarchiving, under the primary and secondary reason codes.

Please contact Customer Service with any questions.

Updates to Message Center

Effective May 15, enhancements have been made to Message Center. With this release, you will now be able to select and retain the number of cases that appear on a page. Your selection will persist, even if you go to another tab, then come back to the landing page, or log in and out of the system.

On the landing page, an information button (i) has been added to the Created column to explain the visual indicators for the age of the message.

Additional smaller enhancements have also been made on the site. If you have feedback for the Message Center team, please feel free to provide it here.