Navigating Cerner FirstNet and Canceling Discharges

Learn how to access Cerner applications, navigate the FirstNet emergency department tracking board, and use the AppBar to cancel a patient discharge.

July 5, 2026 By Jack Scales

This guide explains how to navigate the Cerner FirstNet patient tracking board and use the AppBar application to cancel a patient discharge and return them to the active registry.

This procedure applies to emergency department clinical staff and patient access teams responsible for managing patient flow, bed assignments, and hospital registration status.

Accessing Cerner Applications

Step #1: Navigate to your intranet or desktop shortcuts and open Welcome to CernerWorks. — Navigate to your intranet or desktop shortcuts and open **Welcome to CernerWorks**.

Step #2: Click the FirstNet PROD icon from the applications dashboard to open the emergency tracking board. — Click the **FirstNet PROD** icon from the applications dashboard to open the emergency tracking board.

Step #3: If prompted, confirm that you would like to check in as an available provider. — If prompted, confirm that you would like to check in as an available provider.

Navigating the Tracking Board

When FirstNet opens, it defaults to a primary location (such as Atlanta). To manage a different hospital branch, you must switch your tracking board tabs.

Step #4: Click your respective location tab (e.g., LAW ED All Beds - Reg) to view the active patients in that department. — Click your respective location tab (e.g., **LAW ED All Beds - Reg**) to view the active patients in that department.

You can narrow or filter the patient tracking board using several different preset department views:

Tracking Board View	Description
All Beds	Displays all currently occupied beds in the emergency department. Patients are sorted by last name, then first name.
Available Staff	Lists all clinical staff and providers who are currently working or checked in.
Look Up	Displays patients who have been recently discharged from the tracking board, including their final disposition.
Pending Discharge	Used by patient access teams to identify patients who are missing registration details before they can be officially released.
Registration	Displays the active registry sorted by first name, and immediately displays both the MRN and FIN.

Step #5: Click LAW ED Available Staff to see the current working personnel. — Click **LAW ED Available Staff** to see the current working personnel.

Step #6: Click LAW ED Look Up to view discharged patients and confirm where they went (e.g., home or admitted as inpatient). — Click **LAW ED Look Up** to view discharged patients and confirm where they went (e.g., home or admitted as inpatient).

Step #7: Click LAW ED Pending Discharge to verify if any patients are missing critical information. — Click **LAW ED Pending Discharge** to verify if any patients are missing critical information.

Step #8: Click LAW ED Registration to view the active patient registry. — Click **LAW ED Registration** to view the active patient registry.

Hover your cursor over fields like Reason for Visit, Disposition, or Bed Assignment to view detailed tooltips regarding inpatient requests, observation status, or administrative comments.

Canceling a Discharge via AppBar

AppBar is a secondary application used to manage administrative actions. When a patient's discharge is canceled through AppBar, it automatically updates their status on the FirstNet tracking board for all staff.

Step #9: Return to the CernerWorks dashboard and open the Appbar PROD application. — Return to the CernerWorks dashboard and open the **Appbar PROD** application.

Step #10: Click Cancel Discharge from the patient management toolbar. — Click **Cancel Discharge** from the patient management toolbar.

Step #11: Click the search input field in the Encounter Search window. — Click the search input field in the Encounter Search window.

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Type the patient's exact FIN number and press Enter to locate their record.

Step #13: Select the matching encounter and click OK. — Select the matching encounter and click OK.

If the patient is not actively discharged, the system will display an alert and switch to view-only mode, preventing you from making changes.

Step #14: Click Complete to finalize the cancellation. The patient will immediately be placed back in their assigned bed on the tracking board. — Click **Complete** to finalize the cancellation. The patient will immediately be placed back in their assigned bed on the tracking board.

Q: How do I find patients who have already been discharged from the tracking board?

A: Switch to the ED Look Up tab. This view filters for everyone who has been discharged and shows their final disposition, such as whether they went home or were admitted to inpatient care.

Q: What happens if I try to cancel a discharge for a patient who is currently active in a bed?

A: The system will display an alert stating that the encounter is not discharged, and it will open the patient management window in a restricted view-only mode.

Term	Definition
CernerWorks	The primary web portal used by clinical staff to launch medical applications like FirstNet and AppBar.
FirstNet	An electronic health record (EHR) tracking board application used specifically for managing patient flow in emergency departments.
AppBar	A supplementary utility tool in Cerner used for administrative patient management tasks, such as modifying encounters and canceling discharges.
FIN	Financial Identification Number, a unique identifier assigned to a specific patient encounter or visit for tracking and billing purposes.
MRN	Medical Record Number, a permanent unique identifier assigned to a patient across all of their hospital visits.
Disposition	The patient's recorded destination or status upon completion of their emergency department visit (e.g., discharged home, admitted).