Page Comparison

Encounter

A clinical transaction.  One or more providers generating a set of data (orders, labs, notes, and/or observations) for a patient at a point in time.

• An encounter form entered during a patient visit
• A doctor writes some orders and a note in one "ordering session" during a hospitalization
• A set of lab results delivered to the EMR

Visit

A group of one or more encounters that typically occur within a contiguous span of time.

• A clinic vist
• A hospitalization

Episode of Care

  A collection of visits and/or individual encounters that a related to a condition or treatment plan.

• A pregnancy
• Treatment of hepatitis over 1 hospitalization and multiple clinic visits