Jan
31
Written by:
admin
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Sreamlining the consultation booking process!
This is an idea taken from an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine November 2008 entitled "Innovation in Primary Care — Staying One Step ahead of Burnout". The address for the article is located here content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/359/22/2305.
In the article much of the streamlining of medical consultations involves preparing results and information to be available at the time of consultation. This work is delegated to physician helpers. This includes the collection of results and requesting of required pathology to be performed and made available prior to consultation.
Examination of our booking process within the practice has revealed opportunities for the secretary who takes the phone call to begin the process of implementing preventive care.
Using the DCP engine it may be feasable to display information as soon as the consultation appointment is entered into the appointment book. The secretary may then have an instant view of the primary preventive care status. This may include available billing items and required pathology.
It will be possible for the secretary to ask the patient to book a longer consultation for completion of EPC items (e.g. Annual Health Assessment) if these are indicated within the information display.
The patient could theoretically be requested to undergo pathology testing prior to consultation if this is required. The secretary can request the doctor to print the form with the included pathology tests that are deemed required, with the doctor to review (add more tests if deemed appropriate) and sign. The patient will then come and pick up the form on the same day that they have made the booking and undergo testing prior to consultation.
The inclusion of preventive care within the booking process will streamline our medical practice significantly.
At the moment this is just an idea. I have not yet worked out the details or the implementation requirements for coding within the DCP. For example I don't know whether we'll be possible to pick up appointments as they are entered into the appointment book.
However this is an innovative solution for pre-consultation optimization of our consultation booking process with regard to preventive care items.