Handling “No-Shows”

Claims data clearly demonstrates that not having a system in place to track and follow-up with patients who miss appointments significantly increases the likelihood of claims alleging failure to diagnose, delay in diagnosis, and missed diagnosis. Medical offices should have a written policy in place to address the handling of “no-show” patients that includes:

• Office staff must notify the physician when a patient cancels or does not show-up for an appointment.
• The physician will determine the clinical significance and urgency of contacting the patient to reschedule the appointment.
• Appropriate follow-up for those patients needing to reschedule will include:

–     At least two telephone calls to attempt to reschedule.

–     If unable to reach patient by phone, a certified letter is sent to their home explaining the importance of rescheduling the appointment.

• No-shows and cancellations are documented in the medical record.
• Efforts to contact patients are documented in the medical record.
• Copies of letters and signed certified mail receipts are placed in the medical record.

For more information, speak with a Risk Management Consultant.

 

Tungate Professional Insurance Services, Greater Lansing, is proud to represent The Doctors Company / American Physicians. This article is used with permission from The Doctors Company / American Physicians.

Handling Curbside Consultations

Handling Curbside Consultations

A risk management tip for medical professionals from American Physicians

Physicians often seek insight about a patient from another doctor who has not seen the patient or reviewed the medical record. When you are the doctor being asked for one of these ‘curbside consultations’ you need to be careful not to cross into territory that could imply you have a physician-patient relationship with the patient in question. Following are steps you can take to help prevent this from happening:

• Never give specific treatment advice.
• Keep curbside consults brief and simple. For complex cases, a formal consultation should be obtained.
• Recommend a formal consultation when a curbside consultation is repeated on the same patient.
• Ask your colleague not to document the conversation or include your name in the medical record. If the discussion needs to be recorded, there may be a need for a formal consultation.
• Do not provide curbside consultations by e-mail. Doing so could imply that you had greater involvement in the patient’s care than intended and distribution of the information cannot be restricted.

Information obtained from: Journal of Healthcare Risk Management, Vol. 28, No. 1 pp. 27-29

Tungate Professional Insurance Services is proud to represent American Physicians Assurance Corporation. This tip is used with permission from American Physicians.