A Concept Unique Identifier (CUI) is the unique code for a concept selected from a controlled vocabulary and used in various places within Epic. Using CUIs allows you to file, retrieve, and display pieces of data that would have otherwise been “lost.” For example, many providers take care to compose very descriptive and detailed notes about their patient’s health and wellness. However, this valuable information cannot be easily reported - the data set of your EMR may not include fields for the exact concepts you want to collect on your patients. With CUIs, any imaginable concept can be stored as discrete data and later be available for mining.

CUI data can be used in many kinds of reports to provide information that otherwise would not be available for reporting. Epic allows your facility to choose Medcin or Snomed as your medical concept vocabulary. It also allows you to create custom concepts. Saved CUI data can be retrieved from Clarity for research and productivity reports, to simplify workflows, and more. Here are two specific examples of how CUIs can be utilized:

Use CUIs to auto-populate the order detail section of an order. If an MD wants to recommend a surgical procedure for a patient, the flow would look like this:

• MD selects a surgical procedure from a smartlist in the “Plan” section of the progress note
• If the patient decides to undergo the recommended procedure, a “Schedule Surgery” order is placed by the NP
• By using a CUI Smartlink, the order detail section is already populated with the MD’s surgical procedure information
• The NP adds patient data and transmits the order to a scheduling pool
• The scheduling secretary adds the surgery date, time, and location
• The finalized order routes back automatically to the original NP and/or MD

Using CUIs makes order entry quick and easy, reducing the time spent by staff on each order.

Use CUIs in a Clarity report to track and trend surgery candidates. Informative follow-up reports can be designed to show the percentage of patients choosing to schedule the recommended procedure. The report can confirm when the “Schedule Surgery” order was placed by the NP, the date the procedure was scheduled, and the MD who recommended the surgery. Additional report columns might include the filing date of the post-op report, complications, dates of follow-up visits, or presenting symptoms upon follow-up. These reports are easy to create, and can offer important information about practice activity.

Hayes Epic-Certified consultants are experienced in all Epic products. If you need help, contact us today!

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