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Module: Clinical & EHR (CL)
Feature: CDS Rules & Alerts
Last Updated: 2026-02-19

Overview

Clinical Decision Support (CDS) provides automated, configurable alerts when clinicians perform actions that may affect patient safety. CDS rules trigger point-of-care alerts for drug interactions, drug allergies, medication monitoring gaps, and documentation gaps.

Getting Started

Accessing CDS Rules

  1. Navigate to ClinicalCDS Rules (/cl/cds-rules)
  2. You must have the cl.cds_rules.view permission to see the list
  3. You must have the cl.cds_rules.manage permission to create, edit, or delete rules

Who Can Manage Rules?

By default, only Organization Administrators have the cl.cds_rules.manage permission. Staff members can view rules but cannot modify them. This can be adjusted through the Permissions administration panel.

Creating a CDS Rule

  1. Click “Add Rule” on the CDS Rules page
  2. Fill in the required fields:

General Settings

FieldDescriptionRequired
Rule NameDescriptive name (e.g., “Opioid-Benzodiazepine Interaction”)
Rule TypeCategory of the rule (see below)
Trigger EventWhen the rule should be evaluated
SeverityAlert priority level
Hard StopIf enabled, blocks the action until acknowledged
ActiveWhether the rule is currently enforced

Rule Types

TypeDescriptionCondition Fields
Drug InteractionDetects concurrent use of two drug classesDrug Class A, Drug Class B
Drug AllergyFlags medications matching a known allergyDrug Class
Medication MonitoringAlerts when lab monitoring is overdueLab Test (LOINC), Days Overdue
Documentation GapFlags missing or overdue documentationNote Type, Hours Overdue
Quality MeasureHEDIS/CMS quality measure gapsMeasure ID (future)

Condition Parameters

Parameters change based on the selected rule type:
  • Drug Interaction: Enter two drug class names (e.g., “Opioid” and “Benzodiazepine”). The engine checks if the patient has active medications matching both classes.
  • Drug Allergy: Enter one drug class name. The engine checks if the patient has both an active allergy AND an active medication matching that class.
  • Medication Monitoring: Enter the LOINC code for the lab test and the number of days after which it’s considered overdue.
  • Documentation Gap: Enter the note type and maximum hours before it’s flagged as overdue.

Action Settings

FieldDescription
Action Typealert (show warning), block (hard stop), suggest (recommendation)
TitleShort alert title shown to clinicians
MessageDetailed alert message
RecommendationOptional guidance for the clinician

Severity Levels

SeverityColorDescriptionRecommended Use
CriticalRed (destructive)Life-threatening riskContraindicated drug combinations
MajorOrange (warning)Significant clinical concernKnown interactions with serious effects
ModerateYellow (secondary)Important but manageableMonitoring reminders, dose adjustments
MinorGray (muted)Low-priority awarenessDocumentation reminders
InfoBlue (muted)Informational onlyBest practice suggestions

Hard Stop Rules

When a rule has Hard Stop enabled:
  1. The clinician sees a blocking modal that cannot be dismissed
  2. They must either:
    • Acknowledge the alert (for non-hard-stop alerts)
    • Override with reason — a clinical justification is required
  3. The override reason is permanently recorded in the audit trail
Best Practice: Reserve hard stops for critical safety rules (e.g., contraindicated drug combinations). Excessive hard stops lead to “alert fatigue” and reduced clinical effectiveness.

Alert Lifecycle

Rule Triggered → Alert Created → Clinician Sees Alert

                              ┌─────────┴─────────┐
                              ↓                     ↓
                         Acknowledge            Override
                         (dismiss)          (with reason)
                              ↓                     ↓
                         Alert Closed          Alert Closed
                                            + Audit Record

Alert Actions

ActionWho Can Do ItWhat Happens
AcknowledgeAny clinician with chart accessAlert marked as acknowledged with timestamp
OverrideAny clinician with chart accessAlert marked as overridden with reason and timestamp
Both actions are immutable — once acknowledged or overridden, the action cannot be undone. This ensures a complete audit trail for compliance.

Audit & Compliance

What Is Tracked

  • Every alert trigger (rule ID, chart ID, severity, timestamp)
  • Every acknowledgment (who, when)
  • Every override (who, when, reason)
  • Domain events published: cds_alert_triggered, cds_rule_overridden

Reviewing Overrides

Overridden alerts can be reviewed by:
  1. Viewing the CDS Alerts Panel on any patient chart
  2. Filtering alerts to show overridden items
  3. Reviewing the override reason and clinician who overrode

Regulatory Compliance

CDS alerts support compliance with:
  • Joint Commission medication safety standards
  • CMS Conditions of Participation for medication management
  • AHCCCS AMPM behavioral health documentation requirements
  • 42 CFR Part 2 — alert payloads contain IDs only, no PHI

Managing Alert Fatigue

  1. Start conservative — begin with a small number of critical rules
  2. Monitor override rates — high override rates indicate rules may be too aggressive
  3. Use appropriate severity — not every alert needs to be “critical”
  4. Limit hard stops — reserve for truly dangerous situations
  5. Review and adjust — regularly review active rules and deactivate those with low clinical value
  6. Site-specific rules — use the optional site_id field to scope rules to specific locations

Deactivating a Rule

  1. Navigate to CDS Rules → find the rule
  2. Click Edit
  3. Uncheck Active
  4. Save — the rule will no longer trigger new alerts
Existing alerts from the rule remain in the system for audit purposes.

Permissions Reference

Permission KeyDescriptionDefault Roles
cl.cds_rules.viewView CDS rules listorg_admin, manager, staff
cl.cds_rules.manageCreate, edit, delete CDS rulesorg_admin
cl.cds_alerts.viewView CDS alerts on patient chartsorg_admin, manager, staff

Troubleshooting

IssueSolution
Rules not firingVerify the rule is Active and matches the correct Trigger Event
Too many alertsReduce rule sensitivity or deactivate low-value rules
Cannot create rulesVerify you have the cl.cds_rules.manage permission
Alerts not appearing on chartVerify you have the cl.cds_alerts.view permission
Override reason not savingEnsure the reason field is not empty — it’s required for overrides

Technical Notes

  • CDS evaluation runs client-side in Phase 1 (simple text matching)
  • Future phases will add server-side evaluation via edge functions for external API calls (RxNav, FDB)
  • Alert data is stored in cl_cds_alerts with no DELETE policy (audit retention)
  • Domain events integrate with the Forms & Workflow (FW) automation engine