Page 39 - 2022 Risk Basics - Systems

SVMIC Risk Basics: Systems

After the patient has been directed to the correct staff person for his

or her inquiry, it is crucial to have in place a protocol for all clinical
staff allowed to give patient advice. Clinical staff giving medical advice

or instructions without written approved protocols can be viewed as
practicing medicine without a license, and it is not in the best interest of

the public’s health, safety, and welfare. The protocol should be detailed
enough to include what clarifying questions the staff should ask in

response to various complaints, as well as when a patient should be
referred to a physician.

Using questions outlined in the advice protocol will enable the staff to

more accurately describe the patient’s condition and enable them to:

• Give the physician relevant information so that the patient is

prescribed the most appropriate treatment or directed to an
appropriate healthcare facility; or

• Provide the patient with instructions that are consistent for all
patients with similar symptoms or complaints.

• All medications initiated or refilled should be directly authorized by a
physician or advanced practice provider.

Written protocols for phone triage or clinical advice can be obtained

through some professional medical associations or purchased at
medical bookstores. There are also several online resources such as;

www.teletriage.com and www.amazon.com. Once at the site, search
“triage protocols”. Offices can take these protocols and tailor them to

their particular practice. Alternatively, a physician may design his/her
own protocols by identifying “frequently asked questions” and then

documenting acceptable staff responses for each of those questions.
For example, in offices where patients call to inquire about post-op or

post-procedure home care, the use of patient education tools such as
post-op or post-procedure handouts might be helpful to assist with

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