Adding Tasks

Types of Tasks

Tasks can be linked to charts, linked to a chart along with a specific chart document, or tasks can be added without being linked to a specific chart or document.

• Generic: Tasks that are generic and not prefilled with templated information.  Essentially it is a free text task to note the fields and details as needed when creating the task, along with choosing who to assign the task to.
• Fast-Tasks: Tasks that are categorized, can be templated with prefilled information, and are typically prefilled to automatically assign to a specific department or user(s).

Adding Tasks Related to Charts

When in a specific chart, the Add Task link is found in various places.  Adding a task from links found in the chart, will only relate this task to the chart, not any specific document in the chart.

Once Add Task is clicked, a screen with task choices will appear.  The Generic task button will be above the Fast Task options.

Adding a Generic Task

To create a generic task regarding a chart, click Add Generic button after having clicked the Add Task link found throughout the chart.

Generic tasks have blank fields that you can free-text the information needed for the assignee to complete this task.   The generic task is linked and regarding the chart you are in. This is evident in the Regarding field when in the Add Task screen.

• Description: Describe task or title it.  This is what assignees see in their task queue as the task description.
• Subject:  You can add a subject to the task if you wish. This is visible when the task document is uploaded and stored to the chart.
  • The Copy Description button is a quick method to copy and use the text in the description field as also the subject.  Tasks are saved as documents in the system and typically the document is just saved as Task Note.  Having a subject on the task document provides visibility to other users at a glance, as to what that task note document is about, when working in the chart.
• Notes: Type what needs to be done, and other pertinent info for the assignee to complete this task.
• Regarding: This will automatically have the chart’s name you generated the Add Task from.  This task is linked to this specific chart. However, a different chart can be selected here if the task needs to be related to a different chart than the one being worked in.  
• Priority: Select a priority for this generic task.  High will mark it in red and put at the top of a user/dept’s task list. Normal priority will be put in between all the High and Low tasks in the lists.  Low will insert the task at the bottom of the assignee’s task list.
• Start Date: This date determines when the task will show up on the assignee’s task worklist. If the start date is left blank, it is considered today’s date.  You can make a task show up for an assignee with a later start date (ex: need to call to schedule someone for lab work but don’t call until next week).  A task with an entered start-date in the ‘future’ will not show up on a user’s task worklist until that calendar date (start date) is hit. A remind date that is entered will cause it to display on the remind list as before.  A due date that is entered will show up on the user’s overdue worklist when that date is hit also. Due dates must be a date after an entered start date.
• Due Date: Automatically prefills with today’s date, but if you put in a start date, make sure the due date is a date after the start date or you will get an error.  If startdate is left blank, due date is today’s date. Meaning, it will be due at that time specified today. You can override the due date to change it, or click pick date and click on a calendar date that will then automatically fill into the due date field.  To change a time, simply override with the time you want this due. Make sure you include a or p or am or pm. Clicking the NOW clock icon will prefill the date & time fields as the current date and time currently. Meaning, if you clicked NOW for due date, then in one minute-it will consider this task ‘overdue’ (and also show up in the overdue category of tasks) because it is due now.  You can click the clear button to clear the due date if needed.  A due date is not required, but if left blank, a reminder date is required.
• Remind Date: Can indicate a date to ‘remind’ the assignee about this task.  Remind Date must be a date prior to the Due Date. This will show the task in the Reminder section of the assignee’s task list on the remind date and will allow the assignee to snooze it. Entering a date/time here is the only way for a task to show up in the Reminders section of a task list.  Remind date is not required, but if left blank then a Due Date is required.
• Insert as Completed:  Check-mark this box if you want this task, that is being created, to be automatically put in the ‘completed’ tasks tab.  This would mean that no one will get this task to complete, because you have check-marked it as complete, upon creation. Sometimes users want to document they did something related to a chart and the easiest way to do that is to create a task noting what was done and then marking it as completed, because there is nothing an assignee needs to do.  The task note is stored in the chart and can be used for reporting and chart documentation purposes.
• Assign To:  Choose the assignee the task to be sent to and completed by.

• Assign this task to Myself: If you want to assign the task to yourself, simply checkmark the Assign To Myself checkbox that is provided.  The task will then be put in your task worklist to complete.

• Assign this task to a Department only (not specific users within a department): To assign a task to a department, use the drop-down arrow in Department field. The task will be assigned to the department selected.  Any user that is a member of that department and whom has task viewing permission, can grab and complete department tasks.  Click the ADD button when done.

• Assign this task to a Department and a specific user within that department: If/when you choose a department, the Owner field will display a list of users that are tied to that department selected.  You can then assign a specific user (within that specified department) as the assignee to the task.

  • Use that auto-complete field to select a specific user within that department to assign this task to. You can also click your ↓ down arrow key on your keyboard to view the users within that department so you can select from.
  • Only users in that specific department who have task viewing permission will show in the auto-complete. Choose a specific user if you want to assign to a specific person in that department.  If you want to assign to a department in general, just select the department only and not this specific user field. Click the Add button when done.

• Assign the task to multiple departments: A task can be assigned to more than one department.  To select multiple departments, use the drop-down arrow in Department field then click the Add button after each department selection. When a task is assigned to multiple departments, it needs grabbed by one user within each specified department to complete.  

• Assign this same task to multiple specific users/owners:  You can choose a specific users (owners) to assign the task to.  Each user (owner) assigned the task, must then complete the task.

• All Must Acknowledge within a specific department: After selecting a department as an assignee, in the Owner field, there is an option to assign to All must acknowledge.  If you select this, it will assign the task to every single user that is a member of that specific department selected.  This should be used with caution, as all users in that department would have to complete/acknowledge the task. To use this feature, the department must be chosen with the department to be tasked, then in the owner field, click the ↓ down arrow button on your keyboard or start typing the word all to see the All Must Acknowledge choice.  The owner field autocomplete always offers “All Must Acknowledge” as the last choice.  Users of a department who do not have permission to “view tasking” will not be tasked when All Must Acknowledge is selected as the user.

• All Must Acknowledge in entire Enterprise Health system: If you want to send/assign a task to every user in the entire Enterprise Health system, you do not select a specific department, but simply select All Must Acknowledge in the owner field.  The owner field autocomplete always offers “All Must Acknowledge” as the last choice.  Users who do not have permission to “view tasking” will not be tasked when All Must Acknowledge is selected as the user. Use this with extreme caution, as this will assign/send the task to every user (who has View Tasking permission) in the entire Enterprise Health system.  Users who do not have permission to view tasking will not be tasked when All Must Acknowledge is selected as the user.

When done typing in task details and indicating whom the task should be assigned to, click the Add Task button.

A confirmation message will saying it has successfully recorded the task note as a document in the specified chart, and has successfully added the task to the system.

Adding a Fast Task

To create a generic task regarding a chart, view the Fast Tasks section of the screen and select a specific fast task choice after having clicked the Add Task link found throughout the chart.

According to how the fast task was templated and configured, after you click the hyperlink of the fast task you want, it may automatically quickly create and insert a task on the chart and display a message that the task added successfully. If that is the case, the type of fast task selected was an automatic task.  Automatic fast tasks are set up not to prompt the user, therefore you cannot add or edit any information within the task fields.  The task fields were already set up by an administrator with specific routing and criteria and templated information in the task to be done for this type of fast task.

-OR- After selecting a specific fast task choice, the Add Task field boxes may display and prompt you to type in more information that is templated for you, or can override dates, and typically the assignee is templated in fast tasks, but can be overridden also.  After filling in information needed for the task, click the Add Task button.  You will then get a confirmation that the task was added successfully.

Fast Tasks are templated tasks and are ‘labeled or categorized’ and typically have prefilled information in them to save users time.  Typically fast task templates/selections are created because it is a type of task that the client utilizes a lot repeatedly in workflows (example: precerts, nursing calls, etc).  Users with security permission to configure fast task templates can configure these fast task choices as selections that users can utilize. Task Note Documents Tasks are stored as documents within the Enterprise Health system in the specific chart the task was regarding.  Task documents are typically stored as the name Task Note, but fast tasks can be configured to store as a unique document type name (example: Task Note-Phone Call).   Within a chart, the Medical Records chart tab houses a sub-tab named Task Notes.  This displays all list view of all tasks created for the chart, where users can click into the specific task note document to see the task details.

Once in a specific task document looking at the task details, one can view who and when it was completed by.  If the task has not yet been completed though, you will see a Complete Task hyperlink at the top right corner of the document.

If the task is assigned to a specific user or department you are not a member of, you will get a message that the task is already taken.  If the task were assigned to you and you haven’t completed it yet, when clicking the Complete Task link here (from the task document details), will display the task within the task module and display a free text notes field to document any notes and mark the task as completed.

Adding Tasks from Task List Sidemenu Tab

Tasks can be generated in the Enterprise Health system miscellaneously and not be related to any chart nor stored to any chart.  When in the Task List sidemenu module, there are two hyperlinks at the top right which can generate either type of task (described in above steps) outside of being in a chart.

Tasks generated from the Task List module using these links, do offer the optional Regarding field, where if a chart is keyed into that field, then the task becomes part of the chart and the task note will be stored within the chart.   If the Regarding field is left blank, then the task is not related to any chart.  Users may need to create tasks that aren’t chart related. An example might be for Physician scheduling changes.  You might create a task to the scheduling department saying Dr. XYZ will be out of the office for the day tomorrow as a last minute change.  Then the task would be sent to the department or user(s) designated as the assignee. They would receive the task and complete it.

Adding Tasks Regarding Stored Documents

Tasks can be created for referencing a specific stored document in a chart to be viewed when a task is worked.  For example, needing to task someone regarding a patient’s lab result, the task would indicate what to do, but the task would also include the viewable stored document in the chart.

From within a chart, find the specific document needing to generate a task about.  Once the document is found, click on the Doc ID to open the document itself so the document is displayed on the screen.

Once you have the specific document opened, click Add Task hyperlink at the top right near the document properties.  

When click Add Task from the chart’s opened document, the task selection screen will open with the document displayed under the task type options. Choose to create a Generic or Fast Task regarding the document specified.

Depending on the task option selected, if prompted, fill out or edit task fields indicating what needs done for the task and any assignee’s.  Notice that the regarding field inserts the document id and chart that this task is related to.  This is a hyperlink to take the assignee to this specific document the task is related to.  This provides easy visibility to a document when working a task, instead of trying to find the document in a chart that someone wants an assignee to do something with.  This regarding hyperlink field allows the assignee to click on it to open the document while working in the task.

Related Tasks for a Document

If a specific document is opened and displayed on the screen, there is easy visibility to indicate that tasks were created that relate to that document. If the Hide/Show Tasks hyperlink appears below the document, that indicates this specific document has task(s) related to it. The document has been linked to a task(s). To view the document’s related tasks, simply click on the hide/show tasks link displayed below any document.

The branch of tasks along with task details for each, will appear below the Hide/Show tasks link.  Tasks related to the above document will be listed individually according to date.

Click the Show/Hide Tasks hyperlink again to collapse (hide) the related task details for the document.