Understanding_the_Patient_Intake_Process

Running head: UNDERSTAND THE PATIENT INTAKE PROCESS Understanding the Patient Intake Process Penny Levalley HCR 220 July 11, 2010 Mrs. Summer C. Tierno ABSTACT The patient intake process is the information collected at time from when you first call to set up and appointment to when you check in to when you check out. This information that is collected is personal but necessary for the physician, billing and coding, to refer a patient to a requested physician or for testing. This information is to help you as a patient to make sure that you insurance is covered by the physicians requested to testing. Things have to be pre approved before you can either visit or to do the testing depending on the type of insurance that the patient has. This is to protect the patient from being over charged or having to be charged for something that is not covered on your insurance or is covered but not at a certain facility because they are not in the program that you’re insurance covers. The intake is the procedure by which data is gathered to determine eligibility for services. The data includes: social security number, name, address, telephone number, and any allergies or other medical problems that are needed to know upon your visit, you will also need your insurance card and a co pay if needed upon the visit. You will also have to fill out paper work and sign a HIPPA form. This form is to protect you from anyone giving out any information on you out without your permission. When you have been referred to a particular physician or hospital for testing you will still need to do the process all over again unless the one person that referred you would have faxed all the information to them and it will be there for you and already preapproved. When a patient visits a doctor, either in an office or emergency room, there is a need to obtain information from the patient. Some of the information is historical and relates to the patient's medical history. Also needed is information about the reason for the visit, such as an injury, pain, or illness. Typically a patient will fill out a medical history (particularly when it is the first visit with a doctor) while waiting to see the doctor. If the patient already has historical information on file, the patient may still be asked to fill out a form relating to the current reason for the visit. This typically is merely a few lines and can only be filled out in a summary manner. (Patient intake system patent info, 2010) When the patient meets the doctor, the doctor will typically ask a series of questions about the patient's complaint, making notes and asking follow up questions. After the visit the doctor may hand notes to an assistant for transcribing or may dictate a summary of the visit into a recorder for later transcription. (Patient intake system patent info, 2010) There are a number of disadvantages with the current system of patient doctor interaction. First there is a great deal of wasted time going through the questions so that the doctor can get to the point of the visit. It is only after this question and answer period that the doctor can really begin meaningfully examining the patient's complaint and planning a course of treatment or investigation. Many of the questions the doctor asks are the same for each patient, which becomes repetitious for the doctor. Another disadvantage is the fact that the doctor must take notes or make a recording of the responses that is later retyped or transcribed, wasting staff resources. Such conversion of the notes also raises the risk that an error can be made in the transcription. Each doctor typically employs a unique format or method for the data acquired, so that it is not easy to share data among and between doctors and other health professionals. Additionally, doctors do not consistently gather and document symptoms, making aggregate analysis nearly impossible; communications difficulties often exist between doctors and patients; doctors are not always aware of up-to-the-minute symptoms related to disease outbreaks; and each doctor patient encounter is limited by the individual doctor's education, personal experiences, time constraints, and preconceptions. (Patient intake system patent info, 2010) These are a sample of charts that would or could be use in a office upon check in for a Patient to fill out before seeing the physician, or at a hospital, or of any practice that a patient May need to see. SAMPLES: ( (Patient Intake Form, 2009) SUMMARY OF THE SYSTEM The system provides a system for a patient to enter historical and/or current information into a data entry device. The system utilizes intelligent routing so that the patient is guided to meaningful question paths based on answers to prior questions. The system includes graphical and audio capabilities to help the patient provide accurate information. The system contemplates the user entering data prior to meeting with the doctor. When the doctor sees the patient, the doctor already has the patient responses available in full and summary format, and the patient is more contemplative of their personal medical history, current condition, and symptoms, facilitating a more meaningful and productive encounter. The format is consistent from patient to patient and is uniform for all doctors using the system. This allows data to be easily compiled and shared by health professionals. This shared data can aid in indicating epidemics and geographic progressions of ailments and diseases. The data can also be used to aid in diagnosis of patients. In one embodiment, the doctor will transfer the patient data to a central database. Along with the patient data, the doctor can transmit an initial diagnosis, treatment plan, and results of the treatment plan. In this manner, statistical information can be built up that can indicate more accurate diagnoses when similar fact patterns are presented by patients. The efficacy of treatment plans will also have large statistical populations that can be analyzed and studied. One embodiment contemplates a feedback loop to doctors so that when they meet with a patient who has presented certain symptoms, the doctor is presented with the statistical evidence of various diagnoses associated with that set of symptoms, the accuracy of the diagnoses, the geographical distribution of the cases, treatment plans and their success rates, and other relevant statistical data. (Patient intake system patent info, 2010) REFERENCE Patient Intake System patent info, 2010, Patent Application No. 60/986,242 filed Nov. 7, 2007 entitled “Patient Intake System”, http://www.freshpatents.com/dt20091001ptan20090248444.php Patient intake Forms, 2009, www.osrphysicaltherapy.com/pdfs/OSR_all_patientForms_2009.pdf . .