Transcript EMR chapter 5

Chapter 5
Administrative Use of the Electronic
Health Record
Copyright © 2015 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Lesson 5.1
Administrative Use of the Electronic
Health Record
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Explain the importance and typical duties of the front
office assistant.
Discuss the necessity of respectful communication
among providers, staff, and patients when
answering the telephone, sending email, messaging,
faxing, and scheduling appointments.
Create a telephone message in the SimChart for the
Medical Office (SCMO).
Explain why a provider might send a letter to a
healthcare provider or patient, and learn how to
create one in an EHR.
Copyright © 2015 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Lesson 5.1
Administrative Use of the Electronic
Health Record
5.
6.
7.
8.
Generate patient correspondence in SCMO.
Outline the procedure for the management of EHRs,
including eliminating duplicate charts, the proper
way of purging closed patient records, and the
importance of backing up the EHR.
Create and manage patient appointments in the
calendar.
Discuss the role of the front office in maintaining the
waiting room.
Copyright © 2015 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Role of the Front Office Assistant
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Positive attitude
Greeting patients on the phone and in person
Creating and managing an EHR for each
patient
Generating patient letters and other
correspondence
Providing patient education material
Copyright © 2015 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
4
Communication in the Medical Office
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Good communication improves patients’
confidence in their care
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Increases satisfaction among patients
Safeguards confidentiality
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5
Generating Correspondence in
SCMO
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Access from any module
Click the Correspondence link
Select the Type of Correspondence from the
left info panel
Perform Patient Search to link to the patient
record
Copyright © 2015 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Patient Correspondence
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Referral letters
Patient letter
Emails
Phone messages
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Increases satisfaction and understanding among
patients
Safeguard confidentiality
Copyright © 2015 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
7
Telephone Etiquette
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Telephone is usually the first communication
between staff and patient
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First impression of office
Professional, positive, pleasant tone when
answering
Copyright © 2015 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
8
Common Types of Phone Calls in the
Medical Office
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Appointment requests
Inquiries from prospective patients about the
practice
Requests for medical advice from a physician
or nurse
Prescription refill requests
Insurance and billing questions from patients
Information requests from insurance
companies
Copyright © 2015 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
9
Guidelines for Proper Telephone
Etiquette
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Do not use office telephone lines for personal
conversations. Keep your cell phone conversations
short and private, and take such calls only while on
break.
Do not wear a Bluetooth or other cell phone earpiece
during working hours.
Greet the caller by the second ring, if possible.
Answer the call with a professional, pleasant
greeting, such as, “Good morning, Dr. Mason’s office,
this is Amber. How can I help you today?”
Speak slowly and clearly, adjusting your volume if
you know or suspect the caller has a hearing deficit.
Copyright © 2015 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Guidelines for Proper Telephone
Etiquette (Cont.)
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Obtain the caller’s full name, a return phone
number, and the reason for the call
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Verify any spelling and contact numbers for accuracy,
and summarize the reason briefly and precisely
If it’s necessary to place the caller on hold during
the call, do so only after asking the patient’s
permission and awaiting a response
Limit the hold time to less than a minute, if
possible
Document your conversation with the caller,
along with the time and date and your initials
Copyright © 2015 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Appointment Confirmation
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A reminder that the doctor has reserved this
time
A request to return the call to confirm the
appointment
A request to bring to the appointment a list of
current medications
A reminder for the patient to check on his or
her referral status if the patient’s insurance
company requires a referral
Copyright © 2015 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Secure Email
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Inexpensive
Quicker than “snail mail”
Encryption technology
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Security
HIPAA disclosure statement
EHR messaging
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Interoffice only
Patient access
Copyright © 2015 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Guidelines for Sending Professional
Email
Copyright © 2015 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Messaging in SCMO
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Allowing users to send and receive messages
with other staff members and patients
Found under the Correspondence link
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Left side Info Panel
Copyright © 2015 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Faxing
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Faxes can be misdirected because of human
error or technical glitches
The recipient of a fax cannot be verified
because anyone can pick up the printed
document if the machine is placed in an
unsecure location
It is difficult to verify that all pages were
received
Copyright © 2015 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Guidelines for Fax
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Inform the recipient before sending any
confidential patient information so that it can
be retrieved immediately
Use a cover sheet when sending a fax
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The cover sheet should include the sender’s
contact information, a confidentiality disclaimer,
and recipient information
Follow up with the intended recipient to
ensure that the message was received
Copyright © 2015 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Managing of Electronic Records
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EHR is monitored daily
Ensuring proper software updates
Continued training efforts
Responsibility of entire office
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Eliminating Duplicate Charts
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Ask whether the patient has ever been seen
by the practice before
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If so, use the already established patient EHR
Ask established patients if they have had a
name change
Always set up the patient EHR account using
the name listed on the insurance card
Copyright © 2015 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Patient Records
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Patient health records are classified into three
groups:
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Active
Inactive
Closed
Retention period
Purging
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Process of removing inactive and closed patient
health records from those that are active
Copyright © 2015 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Backing Up the Electronic Health
Record
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Secondary offsite location
Charged portable laptop
Purchased through a vendor
Offices must have a written backup and
recovery plan in place
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Calendar
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Electronic appointment book is the key to
efficient time management
Several users can access the electronic
appointment book at once
Can be printed out daily so that the doctors,
medical assistants, nurses, and receptionists
are all aware of the patient load for the day
Patients can be easily rescheduled, and
appointment availability can be searched
based on patient preferences
Copyright © 2015 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Calendar Views
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The SCMO scheduling system offers many
different views, accessible from the blue tabs
on the left side of the screen:
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Daily
Weekly
Monthly
Exam
Provider
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Three Types of Appointments
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Patient
Block (holiday, lunch hour, travel)
Other (staff meeting, vendor meetings)
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Block an Appointment Time
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Done to:
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Account for routine days off (holidays)
Schedule provider vacations, business travel, and
personal time off
Block time before and after lunch
Accommodate urgent care
Reserve doctor-only booking slots
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Double-Booking
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Assigning more than one patient to the same
appointment slot
Performed when:
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Practice expects a no-show
Expects patients to arrive early or late
Expected to be brief
Appointment requires different rooms and
resources
Urgent medical problem
Copyright © 2015 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Patient Flow
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Waiting room
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Ensure that the waiting room is well lit, clean, and
safe
Reading material in the medical office should not
include potentially offensive topics
Use the waiting room as an opportunity to promote
healthy lifestyles
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Questions?
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