[Histonet] patients with alias names

[Rathborne, Toni]

Our facility has a policy about aliases which are allowed only for the specific reasons you stated. After the patient has been discharged, the alias will be merged with the correct patient information, the Pathology department notified, and an addendum added to the report if it has already been signed out. Slide labels are added to the slide, preferably on the front, but on the back of the slide if the entire slide shows specimen. This way, both names can be referenced. If we are made aware of the change before the case is signed out, a note is still dictated into the report because you still have to explain the discrepancy of the name on the requisition and container.  It is very important to communicate with Registration in the case of consultations. You can't have a reference lab bill a Jane Doe, so the merge will need to occur before the specimen is sent out (or at least before you are billed). Hope this helps. We had some similar concerns last year, which now seem to be resolved.

-----Original Message-----
From: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
[mailto:histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu]On Behalf Of
mwhite <@t> mcleodhealth.org
Sent: Friday, March 18, 2011 11:19 AM
To: Histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
Subject: [Histonet] patients with alias names



Histonetters: We are curious to find out how your facilities  handle
patients with alias names.

At our hospital, patients are somewhat frequently admitted with alias names
in order to protect their privacy and/or safety (i.e., gunshot wounds, gang
crime, etc.) . Usually their pathology is done without us ever knowing that
there was an alias.  So, we have slides and blocks that are labeled with an
incorrect name along with the case number, etc.  If the patient was in our
system previously, they use their existing permanent medical record number.

Upon discharge from our hospital computer system, these patients' medical
records are merged or corrected somehow  with the real name , and the name
is updated in our pathology LIS and our clinical lab LIS.   Occasionally
the discharge is timed in such a way that the path report hasn't yet been
signed out; therefore the slides, blocks, gross description, etc. all
contain an alias name that appears as a discrepancy to the pathologist
( who sees the discharged patient's real name on the header of the typed
gross paperwork.)

Our pathologists are very uncomfortable with the slides and blocks having
the alias name. What if they want to send out these materials to other
facilities for consults?  We don't get any report that shows a summary of
aliases.

 What are your policies and procedures?




Melanie S. White, MT(ASCP)
Laboratory Supervisor, Systems/Anatomic Pathology
McLeod Regional Medical Center
(843) 777-2072



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