* Printer: print from computer, fax & copy & scanner device, photo quality, double-sided printing, wireless option. As the number of hours required and the courses and seminars approved vary from state to state, contact should be made with the State Board of Chiropractic Examiners for specific information. As a popular alternative, you can separate patient records into current, active, and inactive categories. It involves the rules and regulations set forth by lawmakers on a local, state, and national level. You now have a problem if your assistant hands the phone to you. Philosophy How will they fit with changing requirements? A better approach would be, "Mr. Brown, this is Dr. Carey's office. An attitude like this soon grows to a lack of respect because your assistant was not in control of the situation on its first occurrence. Numerical indexing also requires a log book to be maintained that lists each number assigned so that the same number will not be assigned to different patients. A list of such calls offers you an opportunity for a quick review (Fig. Each item should have a quantitative reorder point, and this will have to be readjusted periodically according to need. Financial data are also summarized such as total charges and collections for the day. When this happens, patients should be notified immediately by telephone or mail, whichever is more appropriate. However, if the patient is scheduled to return in 2 months for a periodic examination, the file will be posted behind the March tab. It is never wise to say that the office just had a "cancellation." Many patients have a tendency to overexert themselves on weekends, and the office telephone is usually busier on Monday morning than any other morning of the week. Can be shared for patient care, treatment coordination; to pay providers and facilities for health care; and among family, friends, and relatives whom the patient has identified as being involved in his or her health care. If the patient simply forgot the appointment, there is usually no difficulty in quickly arranging another. Whenever a document, letter, report, or form may be looked up under two or more names or subject titles, a cross-reference sheet or one or more copies of the original should be used. Accounts receivable procedures When you will be extremely late or delayed for several hours, new appointments should be scheduled for those patients who do not wish to wait. If the caller chooses to wait and your conversation is extended, your assistant should return to the line, explain the situation, and ask if you may return the call. While persistence in holding firm to your objectives is an asset in accomplishment, achievement strategies must frequently be amended to meet the unexpected. The Indistinct Caller. Supplies in most offices will be found in two general areas. 3. have a patient sign a disclosure in presence of a witness. * Reports If dictation equipment is available, you may prefer to use it in developing correspondence. Management of Incoming Mail You can suggest two things. Frequent Outgoing Calls After the patient completes the form, an assistant should review it to be sure that all appropriate blanks have been filled and that the writing is legible. Calls to "No-Shows" should be made approximately an hour or less after the patient was due. Corrective exercise forms Some mail will be urgent or important, some will be of casual interest, and some you may classify as "junk" mail. The major warning sign is seen when net profits before taxes decrease below forecasts. In addition, patients of their own volition may call the office to ask a question regarding their condition or care. If you make prescheduled rounds of house visits, your assistant should prepare a daily routing list so that you need not crisscross the town after each visit. Personal calls of staff should be limited to emergencies and made as brief as possible. Stamps. Patients can make both unintentional and intentional errors. You may request patients with acute or rapidly progressing conditions to report their daily progress. Every patient entering the reception area should be cheerfully greeted and properly registered. * Print on stationary Procedural routines guard against forgetfulness, and most routines can be delegated to well-trained assistants. Regardless of size, every office has daily routines that must be conducted at the proper time so that the practice will run smoothly, efficiently, and professionally. An emergency housecall, bad weather, a special professional meeting, and other unforeseen situations may necessitate several appointments or even the entire day's appointment be changed. Basically, there are two types of emergencies: those that happen when you are in the office and those that happen when you are not. The management of the appointment book should be the responsibility of one assistant. Anything that requires repair or servicing should be noted. The Reception Area A tactful assistant can effectively manage your appointment schedule by manipulating appointment times to suit practice needs without disrupting the cordial doctor-patient relationship so necessary in health care. Give info to a patient's employer. Living in reality, the wise assistant will anticipate some appointment changes, tardy patients, broken appointments, last-minute cancellations, times when you will be late, as well as overly sensitive, irritable, and demanding patients. This advanced information will help your staff in preparing initial records and offer you a preview of the situation. Explain that appointments are necessary. The customer is the sole purpose of all significant activity. Good policy is in the best interests of all patients. Frustrating! In subhead cards, the main heading is typed somewhere on the card for reference. This is why even the most seasoned compliance professionals need a refresher on why policies and procedures important in the workplace. For frequently dialed outgoing calls, your assistant should have a list or rotary file of the numbers handy to her desk and kept updated. Policies and procedures help employees to keep their actions within those tolerances. Special situations Training is necessary so that your assistant is alert to what you consider "junk" mail (not to be forwarded), what incoming mail you want to see first, what priorities should be given to certain types of mail, and how the mail should be organized. Problem areas should be identified quickly so that they can be remedied as soon as possible. It should also be determined if the appointment is for a new patient or an established patient of the practice and if there is any urgency to the appointment request. This form usually concludes with a printed statement of standard office policy concerning payment for services rendered such as "Payment is expected at the time of the visit unless other arrangements have been made in advance." elizabeth jones, age 76, is an established patient in your family practice office. Most offices attempt to keep films as long as space permits, after which they can be sold to have the silver reclaimed. 30 minute visit :+ 20 minute established =50 minutes Elaborate business systems are maintained to keep constant contact with customers, enhance good will, and maintain customer and product loyalty. Regardless of who does the recording, accuracy and completeness must be above criticism. In alphabetical indexing, it is good procedure to have a miscellaneous folder for each letter of the alphabet that is placed behind the last folder within a particular alphabetical section. Tax record procedures The effects of fatigue become most apparent as the end of a busy day's schedule approaches. Your assistant should schedule patient visits intelligently so that too much time is not allowed between appointments. * Calendar: meetings, out of office, vacations, days closed, * Microsoft word what kind of paperwork must be completed, and what information will the hospital require prior to admission? and so forth. This is the first direct human contact the new patient has with your practice. On the first offense, the late patient only needs to be reminded that he is late and that the doctor will see him as soon as possible. * Avoid by scheduling efficiently. I have Dr. Smith's appointment book here at my desk. The information in this article should not be used as a substitute for obtaining personal legal advice and consultation prior to making decisions regarding individual circumstances. These contacts help to enhance the success or failure in patient impression as they are the first tangible evidence a patient has of the service they will see. A patient is more than a sick body; he or she is also a sensitive psyche. Telephone Services and Equipment One is the central storage area and the other is in the various work areas where the supplies are used. Interest and warmth freely offered to each patient are excellent practice builders. (5) financial concerns take priority over clinical concerns. Usually, a standard form or checklist is used. ADMINISTRATIVE RATIONALE It also helps to speak at a slower rate. Make any changes necessary to keep your operations flowing smoothly and to comply with any legal or regulatory changes. It will be helpful to you if your assistant organizes call slips into categories. FILING EQUIPMENT A small cross-index card must also be prepared that contains the same information in reverse (eg, Jones, John L - 1476). An "Appointment Control Record" is helpful in analyzing problem areas. Examination Records The typical basis used in chiropractic offices is the item's cost rather than the market value, which is used in some businesses. This acknowledges that you recognize that the patient's time is valuable. Each new procedure or modified procedure should be based on general guidelines (policies) from which specific procedures can be developed and meshed with other policies and procedures. A follow-up file is a large type of tickler system that contains letter-size folders. Air freshener should be discreetly sprayed around when necessary. * Send memos It is critical in health care because the data are highly confidential and the absence of accurate facts may jeopardize appropriate patient care. A patient that leaves the office without an appointment is often considered lost to the practice for all practical purposes. To avoid these extremes, supply and demand must be kept as parallel as possible. Aside from patient record files, additional card files that remind you and your assistants of important dates and matters to be taken up at a later date reduce burdening memories with sundry details. Although appointment schedules should be arranged as far as possible to suit a patient's convenience, the patient should never be allowed to determine the interval between appointments. 3.15). The typical subjects covered are: The office copy of a purchase order will automatically file information as to the name of the supplier, what was ordered, the quantity, the cost, and the delivery date. Because the telephone is a low-fi instrument, many overtones and undertones appreciated in direct conversation are lost. Professional History Interest in a patient's progress, family, and hobbies is appreciated. If you are busy but expecting an important call, your assistant should be alerted to this fact. Banks operate on a "first come, first served" basis. With experience, the length of each procedure can be accurately anticipated and the estimated time can be allotted. Patients are seen on a first come, first served basis. If a patient feels he or she cannot wait until tomorrow, your assistant should respond that you would be able to take a quick look at the condition today, but it might be preferable to have an appointment the next day when you will have more time to thoroughly evaluate the condition. Calls requiring back-up information (eg, lab reports) should be separated from those that do not. If the recommended case program cannot be followed, the patient is wasting money and you are wasting time that could be better applied to cooperative patients. Thus, it's helpful to pitch the telephone voice slightly lower than normal. * Place order X-ray films are probably the only clinical records that are not typically filed with case records, and this is essentially because of their large size. Referral Calls Roentgenography record forms When patient volume decreases, operating expenses do not decrease proportionately. 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