Understanding the Patient Intake Process Jody J Long HCR/220 Claims Preparation I: Clean Bills of Health January 30, 2011 Axia College University of Phoenix Understanding the Patient Intake Process Working on the concerns of patients once he or she has been entered the health care system; there is vital need for understanding of the patient intake process. When a patient enters a clinic or any other facility the information gathered is very important to collect for the first time. The preregistration and scheduling information, including the insurance information, patient medical history, assignment of benefits, and the acknowledgement of receipt of notices that privacy practices gathered the first time the patient enters the …show more content…
An example the Baylor Health Care Facility is will transform their process with technology like the Tablet PC as a way to improve the workflow and helping the patient during the check in process. The centralized point for the patient information is an integral segment of the clinical transformation. Once an office has transfer from paper-based records to the electronic, he or she will make the records more accessible and easy to obtain through the Tablet PC. With a Tablet PC, doctors along with other medical staff can update a patient's record even when he or she is away from his or her workstation. The Tablet PC will increase the doctor's mobility because; he or she will be able to access the information virtually anywhere, which they would not have to depend on the nurses to pull the charts. Patient intake solution can improve by the use of a Tablet PC. A patient can use the Tablet PC to give the office his or her demographic and insurance information, sign forms, along with answer health questions during his or her check in for the first visit. The later appointments have a reduce check in time since the patient only needs to update if needed. With the use of a Tablet PC, it will be a timesaving measure for the patients along with staff because it will improve the experience that the patient will have at that clinic or facility. The Tablet PC is very easy to use the patient
In the medical field there have been a lot of technological advances and making health records electronic is one of them. The days of having a paper health record are almost obsolete. An electronic health record keeps a patient’s medical information and history on a computer which is accessible to more people in less time. I will explain how the continuity, communication, coordination and accountability of the electronic health record can help the medical office. I will explain what can be included in the electronic health record. As an advocate of the electronic health record I will also explain some disadvantages to the electronic system.
The advancement in technology has rapidly transformed the world today, and the increase in the number of web-enabled devices has completely changed peoples ' lives especially the way they communicate. Electronic Health Record system, which is a digital copy of a patient’s medical history is one of the revolutionary ideas that have come with this advancement. Electronic Health Records (EHRs) are instantaneously updating records that are patient-centered designed with the aim of providing real-time information to the authorized users (Cohen, 2010). It contains all the patient’s information that is in the hand of the medical providers including their medical history, treatment dates and types, immunizations conducted to the patient and their dates, radiology images and all the laboratory results from the tests conducted in the past. All this information is held in a digital format and can only be updated by authorized users who are stationed in the medical facilities. Electronic records are designed to make it easy for different health providers and organizations to share patients’ information which streamlines their operations since all the necessary information and history can be accessed from any location at any time.
In the hectic and harried environment of a hospital, a nurse or technician does not have to search for an available workstation when they can pull up an individual chart on their tablet. Medical personnel can expect to access medical records more frequently and faster than traditional paper and folder charting models. “Location no longer creates a barricade to patient data. Role-based roaming and printing means better access to records from multiple locations. Many different devices, such as tablets and mobile phones, are supported.” 3
The first area outlined in the intake form is the client’s demographic information that included the client’s date of birth, social, insurance information, etc. necessary to process claims for reimbursement and the client’s provider information, such as primary care, and case management, to ensure fluidity for establishment of coordination of care between providers. The intake form
There are five different components that contribute to the operations of healthcare. They are hardware, software, data, procedures and people. Hardware is the first step in the operations for any hospital or clinic. Reason being, the employees of said health organization will need access to a computer to preform, access and communicate with other health professionals or their patients. The way they can access this information is through any mobile device (Phone, iPod, portable device), computer or other technical devices. These are essential for the health organization to preform their daily operations.
In Stage 3, enhancements to the UMUC Family Clinic business process will be proposed by recommending HIT (health information technology) solution, consisting of a certified EHR (electronic health system)/EMR (electronic medical records) system. Once this system is implemented, it will immediately improve the current process. Customer complaints are high, and the focus is on the long wait times and redundant processes when a patient arrives to be checked in. Moreover, some nurses are not readily available, because they are preoccupied with other administrative duties within the practice. Inconsistent record keeping practices lead to additional time searching for patient records. A HIPPA violation may be detected if a patient’s record is misfiled or lost; henceforth, creating a need for supplemental time and possible duplication of another medical record may be required. This process can be greatly improved by the HIT solution using a terminal loaded with the EHR solution. This will allow patients the ability to enter all of their health record information upon their arrival and that information will be instantly available to the nurses and doctors. This process will also give the patient the opportunity to validate the information and make any necessary changes (benefit information, addresses, phone numbers, and medications).
Patient portals can be customized to meet the needs of each provider's office. From a staff's perspective, patient portal will streamline the front desk worklow in terms of registering the patient, appointments, and sending reminders to the patients. As patients will be utilizing the portal to make a follow up appointment or requesting a refill on the medication, staff will be taking less and less calls. Staff members will be provided with adequate education and training on portals. In the end, staff members will be satisfied to see a decline in phone calls to refill medications or to reschedule an appointment. Staff time will be utilized in other areas that an benefit the patient outcomes.
In observation, (Fahnestock, McComb, & Deshmukh, 2013) stated "Information technologies are transforming the way healthcare is delivered. Innovations such as computer-based patient records, hospital information systems, computer-based decision support tools, community health information networks and new ways of distributing health information.” (p.3.2). In the sector of delivering healthcare using technology, has made it easier for healthcare professionals to access medical records, digitization of prescriptions and view test results. With the use of high-performance devices being used in the hospital, helps to make the jobs of healthcare professionals a little easier. As well as relieve anxiety from anxious patients that may be awaiting lab results to come back. Therefore, IT devices and services has been and continues to be a tremendous help and game changer for the healthcare system. However, there is still a lot of work to be done to help shape and reform the healthcare
Technology in our age today has been emerging, and as the years advance it is certain that it will continue to facilitate the world that we live in on many different scales. In relation to medical care and advancement, technology can be used in many ways to enhance healthcare delivery and patient care. Through technology communication within the interdisciplinary teams of a patient which sometimes involves various specialties, is highly facilitated. Medical records are now easily shared within the team of specialist. For example, records such as specialty doctor's recommendations and laboratory records arrive faster at the primary care physician fingertip. This helps immensely in the providers decision making process for sometimes very time sensitive, lifesaving treatments preferences. Technology also helps to improve health care delivery and patient care because it has played a major role in decreasing the rates of preventable medical errors that are sometimes costly to patient lives. In an article published by the Internatinal Journal of Health
The use of technology will enable patients to track important health information. This can be useful for patients changing primary care providers, meaning the redundant attempts to provide physician offices with past medical history can be eliminated. A discussion of extensive implementation of Electronics Health Records (EHR’s) to create a service for patients is found on HealthIT.gov (Health IT, 2014). As of now only a select few organizations include this service technology and it is called “Blue Button.” This service allows patients to retrieve all medical records through the internet rather than having to visit the medical records office at a local facility. With the inclusion of this service, a broad variety of services including a system wide online patient portal is a possibility to allow patients the ability to connect mobile health monitoring devices, check current prescriptions, and review important blood test results (Health IT, 2014). These tools can be utilized by patients to track and take preventative actions on their health status, but unfortunately not every healthcare organization offers this to its patients. If the inclusion of this type of service becomes a standard in care, patients will gain access to their health records and be able to utilize them through a more convenient effort no matter which provider is seen.
You can serenely hold all the kind of circumstances with the assistance of development technology equipment. Patient Check-In is the most ideal approach to handle a wide range of patients. By the assistance of this, you can maintain a strategic distance from the long lines at gathering and individuals don't talk about their own issues at freely. It is advantageous for both whether it is a specialist or patient. Equipment touch highlights rich to meet the improving administration conveyance needs with cutting edge
It is important for medical records system to practice in the industry systems. Using the IPad, it helps the company run smoothly. It benefits the company to quickly transfer patient data from one department to the next, and it enhance through the ability more accurately and efficiently process patient billing.
It is important to understand that patients are very satisfied with electronic health systems. For example, patients see a vast improvement in the speed at which they are being seen when they go their doctors’ office. Patients no longer have to wait on their physicians for hours due to the fact that their information can be readily available to their physicians when they come to see them. Moreover, all their information is transparent to their health care provider since all their data is in electronic form.
A large, local hospital has requested consulting assistance with a technical research and specification project related to the selection of a tablet device for use in their medical practice. This tablet will be used by personnel for medical and administrative purposes throughout the hospital.
Mobile devices are such an easy tool to use so many different healthcare professions use them. Everyone from the pre-hospital side of things, including EMS workers all the way up to the administrative workers at the top in the hospitals. Even small doctors’ offices are starting to get on the train using tablets for everyday tasks. Tablets are even in used in the medical classrooms teaching future doctors, nurses, and paramedics.