Hayes Review: Winter 2009

Front-end Tune-up for GE Centricity Business Clients
By Susan Hopper

How long has it been since you monitored the effectiveness of the front-end processes?  Are any red lights appearing on your daily and weekly dashboards monitoring patient access and advanced web workflows?  Are there simple improvements that can be made to the workflow that will increase end-user productivity?

Maybe it is time for a spring tune-up.  Here is an example that can improve process efficiencies in areas accessed multiple times daily by front-end staff.

Advanced Workflow Grids:

• Does the REG Patient Lookup grid display information that users should be verifying such as date of birth, sex, telephone and address? 
• Warning signal: The MRN appears in the initial screen of the patient lookup grid but is not part of key criteria for patient selection. 
• Tune-up recommendation: You can modify the REG Patient Lookup grid to display key patient lookup criteria to decrease duplicate patients.
  
  
• Are key elements displayed in patient appointment grids presented in a consistent order? 
• Warning signal: Key data in grids that display appointment information such date, day, time, status, type and provider do not appear in the same order in:
  1. Scheduling Homebase Appointment
  2. Patient Appointment List
  3. Bump List
  4. Appointment/Visit Manage
• Tune-up recommendation: You can tailor the grids so information is displayed consistently in similar views so users do not have to search through the same data shown in different order.

Additional improvement suggestions follow:

• Create Form Letters to print patient instructions for follow-up appointments.  This can replace stacks of handouts in the check-out area and allow the follow-up appointment information to appear on the same page as instructions.
• Review and audit cash control policy compliance.
• Coordinate modification of fee tickets to print as a post arrival routine which 1) will ensure current patient demographic information is printed (where flows verify and update demographics when patients present), and 2) create efficiency as staff will no longer need to sort fee tickets printed in batch the night before.
• Update training documentation and job aides to reflect new features and processes incorporated with last (or upcoming) upgrade.

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