A subscript is a value or group of values (or identifiers) that make a record unique. Each record within a segment must be unique to prevent overlapping of data and so the system (and users) can access the data specific to that segment. For those familiar with relational databases, the subscript is the primary key for the table. Subscripts determine the sort order of records within segments, since it is how the data is physically stored in the database. To access any data element within a segment, the subscript for the segment must be defined.
The primary types of subscripts in MEDITECH are unique record numbers (URN) and mnemonics. A URN is generally a system-generated numeric value that is assigned to a record upon filing. Using Admissions as an example, each patient visit is assigned a URN upon filing. The Admissions URN is a sequentially generated number and is what the system uses internally to identify one visit from another. The first patient visit filed in Admissions is assigned a URN of 1, the second a value of 2, etc. Mnemonics are free text values that are user generated and stored in alphabetical order. For example, when accessing dictionary entries, a user first enters a value for the mnemonic which is a unique code assigned to the dictionary entry.
There are four ways to define a subscript:
w Choose a detail segment on page 1 of the NPR Report
w Use a DPM pointer and possessive (Ex: @location’s.name)
w Adding Multiples to the NPR report
w Using subscripting in calculated fields (Ex: @MIS.LOCN.name[@location])