How can documentation be added to a deceased patient's chart?

Question: How can new information be added to the chart of a deceased patient?

Context: As soon as a patient is declared deceased (something done by medical records), the Connect Care chart enters a state that issues a warning whenever the patient's chart is accessed. 

Sometimes new information emerges after death that a prescriber may want to add to the chart. Examples include family discussions and post-mortem investigations. 

Prescribers can open the deceased patient's chart (patient-level information) but cannot create an orders-only or documentation encounter (two of the more common ad hoc encounters that providers use to add information to a chart when patients are not in clinic, ER or facility). A message "The Encounter could not be created" is posted and the process is blocked. Are there alternatives?

Answer: There are three simple ways to add documentation to a deceased patient's chart.
  1. Inpatient - If the information pertains to a past hospitalization:
    • Open the chart. 
    • Use the "Select Encounter" activity to open the hospital encounter of interest.
    • Go to the "Notes" activity and create a new progress note or an addendum to an existing discharge summary or deceased note. 
  2. Outpatient - If the information pertains to a past clinic (outpatient) visit:
    • Open the chart.
    • Use the "Select Encounter" activity to open the ambulatory encounter of interest (including telemedicine visits).
    • If the past outpatient visit was already signed, there is an option to create an "addendum" to the visit.
    • Use the "Notes" activity (in right sidebar) to record the new information.
  3. Patient - If the information is at the patient level and not specific to an encounter:
    • Open the chart.
    • Use the "Create Encounter" activity to create a new encounter of the type "Post Mortem Documentation".
    • Use the provided note to record the observations of interest.