Dates and handoffs
A requested date and an agreed date belong in different fields
The clinic’s preferred delivery date usually reflects its own schedule. The laboratory’s commitment depends on the work it has accepted. Recording both as a single “due date” can erase the difference.
Consider a sample order requested for Thursday. The laboratory proposes Friday, but the clinic has not yet responded. Showing Friday as the agreed date overstates the commitment; leaving Thursday without an open-change indicator hides the problem.
A usable case record keeps the requested date, current agreed date and outstanding proposal separate. The proposal needs a reason, a response owner and a decision. Once accepted, the new commitment becomes current while the earlier one remains in history. If declined, the original commitment should not silently change.
This also helps when a clinic reviews a delay. Was the laboratory late against an agreed date, or did the clinic request a revision that moved the schedule? Both can matter operationally, but they are different events. Reports become more useful when those events remain distinguishable.
ConnectDent’s sample date-change example shows an accepted and a declined proposal. It records the administrative decision; it does not establish laboratory capacity or promise an appointment outcome. Teams considering a shared workspace should first agree which role can propose a date and which role can accept it.
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