This process should only be used if the patient will not have a face sheet/discharge order signed in Order Entry. Discharge Orders can be signed up to 36 hours after the patient has been discharged via the PATCOM admissions system. If a discharge order exists, you should sign it or get it signed if possible. See Completing Discharge Orders.
Required information that would be supplied automatically from the face sheet/discharge order must be typed into DEx when you write a summary without an electronic discharge order. Discharge orders completed after a summary is finalized in DEx cannot be merged with the DEx summary.
As long as the summary is saved as preliminary, you can error out to accommodate an electronic discharge order. See Erasing a Preliminary Summary in the instructions for DEx.
To override the discharge orders lock in DEx:
Click 
.
Click an option to indicate why you are writing a summary without a signed face sheet/discharge order in Order Entry. For Other, type a description.
Type your signing key, then click OK.
Edit and save the discharge summary. See Editing DEx Field-By-Field.