Understanding Sonio exam statuses

Before you start

• The status appears in the status column of your dashboard (the worklist).
• Some statuses can be changed from the dashboard.

How it works

An exam moves through a sequence of statuses as it progresses. Five main statuses move largely on their own:

• Exam Ordered when the exam is created.
• In Progress when imaging begins.
• Imaging Completed when imaging is done.
• Sent to Provider when the report is submitted for review.
• Report signed when the reader signs.

These advance automatically as images arrive from the machine, the report is submitted, and the report is signed. A few other statuses are set by hand for site-specific workflows.

Signing locks the exam. Once a report is signed, the exam becomes read-only. To change it again, a user with the right permission revises (unsigns) it, which sends the status back to Sent to Provider.

The main statuses

These five statuses describe the typical path, in order.

• Exam Ordered: the exam has been created. It can be created from an EHR or worklist order, created manually in Sonio, or created when images first arrive. This is the starting state.
• In Progress: imaging has begun. The exam moves here when the first ultrasound image is received from the machine.
• Imaging Completed: imaging is done. The exam moves here automatically when the structured report (SR) is received from the machine.
• Sent to Provider: the sonographer has submitted the report to the reader for review.
• Report signed: the reader has signed the report. Signing locks the exam and it becomes read-only, shown with a lock. To make changes, a user with the right permission revises (unsigns) it, which sends the status back to Sent to Provider.

Other statuses you may see

They are used rarely, and their exact meaning varies by site (the practice decides to use these as a way to communicate).

• Referred by: the exam has been forwarded to a remote site for remote reading.
• Revised Report: the report was revised after signing.
• On hold: used to park an exam, for example a reader waiting on one more piece of information before signing.
• Chart completed: used by some sites as an intermediate review step (for example, a lead sonographer or an RN signals the exam is ready for the physician to sign). The exact use is configured per site.
• Admin: used by some sites for a billing or admin review step.
• Archived/Locked: a status some configurations use. This is different from the read-only lock that signing applies: a signed exam shows a lock but keeps the status Report signed.

Examples (when to use this)

• A reader filters to Sent to Provider to see every exam waiting for a signature, then reviews and signs them in one pass.
• A sonographer sees an exam still marked Exam Ordered and checks the imaging source. That status usually means no images have arrived yet.
• A reader needs one more piece of information before signing, so they set the exam to On hold to park it and come back later.

Common questions / troubleshooting

My exam is still Exam Ordered. Why?

Exam Ordered is the starting state. The exam usually stays there until the first ultrasound image is received. If it has not moved, no images have arrived yet from the machine.

Why does the row say "View exam" when the status is Report signed?

The action button label and the status can look out of step. A row can read "View exam" even on an exam whose status is Report signed. The status column is the reliable indicator of where the exam is.

How do I change a status?

A user can change an exam's status directly from the dashboard. This is how the manual statuses (such as On hold) get set. If you cannot change a status, it may mean that the exam is signed or that this status cannot be changed manually.

What does Referred by mean?

Referred by means the exam has been forwarded to a remote site for remote reading.