Risk Management
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Telephone Screening
April 8, 2024
Dear OMIC Insureds:
You rely on your staff to screen countless calls from patients each day. Having your employees ask patients the correct questions when they call to report a problem or seek advice will ensure calls are being handled appropriately. The materials in OMIC’s Telephone Screening Toolkit should be used as a guide to develop and implement a screening protocol for your practice. OMIC suggests the following recommendations to promote both the continuity and defensibility of telephone care:
- Exercise the same care when treating a patient over the telephone as you would during an office visit.
- Gather the information necessary to assess the situation and determine the treatment plan.
- Communicate the assessment and plan to the patient.
- Document the encounter and your decision-making process in the medical record.
- Develop written protocols for telephone screening and treatment that are specific to your patient population, subspecialty, and staff.
- Supervise staff members who screen calls. In addition to developing and approving written protocols, the supervision should include:
- Training and verification of competency.
- Answering questions from staff members unsure of how to handle specific calls.
- Regular review of how calls are handled and documented (e.g., patient complaint, type of appointment, staff advice, etc.), and
- periodic review of the screening protocols themselves.
If you have questions, contact us for confidential risk management advice at riskmanagement@omic.com or call us at 1-800-562-6642 and enter 4 for Risk Management.
Sincerely,
Amy Braswell
OMIC Risk Management Specialist