TouchWorks EHR Problem Lists

Overview

Patient Problems may be captured within the TouchWorks EHR. Problems are conditions (personal and family history), behavior or past surgical history. They are grouped into four main categories in TouchWorks:

• Active Problems (current conditions, e.g. hypertension)
• Family History (any conditions that a family member had, e.g. FHx of cancer or heart disease)
• Surgical History (any previous surgery)
• Personal History (e.g. exercise behaviors, smoking, drinking, etc)

Related Articles: Transitioning Problems

Problems and ICD9 Diagnosis Codes

There tends to be some confusion over how the ICD9s show for Problems and if/how the ICD9 Diagnosis Dictionary for TW Charge links to the Problem dictionary. Here are a few facts that should help:

• Searching for Problems - the ICD9s you see and may search by are in the Problem Dictionary (technically, in the Medcin database, which the Problem Dictionary links to)
• ICD9s Showing in the Problem List - ICD9s will only show in the Problem List (v10 - current/v11.1) if the Problem has an ICD9 in the Problem Dictionary/Medcin AND there exists a diagnosis in the ICD9 Diagnosis Dictionary (Charge) with the same ICD9 when the Problem was created.
• ICD9s for Problems DO NOT come from the ICD9 Diagnosis Dictionary!! The Problem and ICD9 Diagnosis Dictionary only link on ICD9 Code when the ICD9 Code exists in both.
• You cannot add new ICD9s to a Problem Dictionary entry - a new Problem Dictionary entry nor an existing one. ICD9s are associated to Problems by Medcin.