Page 27 - 2020 Risk Reduction Series Effective Systems_Part 1_Flipbook

SVMIC Risk Reduction Series: Effective Systems

tracks patient no-shows and cancellations. The second is,

when a physician orders a test or referral, the nurse so indicates
on the appointment sheet next to the patient’s name. The

appointment sheet then serves as a tracking log, and the
procedures for tracking would follow those previously outlined.

The third way the scheduling procedures can be used to track
is, after a test/referral is ordered, the physician instructs that the

patient’s name and the test/referral ordered be placed on his/
her schedule for the day that the results would reasonably be

expected to be received in the office. An appointment time is not
given; the patient’s name is simply added to the schedule with a

“results pending” notation. Each day, the medical records
designated “results pending” are reviewed, and if the results

have not been received, then appropriate investigation follows.
Standard physician follow-up should occur.

Patient Notification

There should be a consistent method for notifying patients of

ALL test results and instructing them to call the office if they
have not received the results within the expected time frame.

These instructions to the patients, as well as actual patient
notification, should be documented in the medical record.

Although instructing the patient to call for test results does not
absolve the doctor of the duty to inform the patient, it does act

as another safety net to ensure that important test results do not
get overlooked and is a legitimate means of vesting the patient

in his/her own healthcare. The more layers of redundancy that
can be built into a system, the better.

It should be noted that, irrespective of a facility’s statutory

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