Introduction This document consolidates key points from staff meetings held at Osteopathic Family Medicine, LLC. Duplicate items have been eliminated, and content has been reworded for clarity and consistency.
General Policies and Procedures
Hiring and Staffing:
Ensure adequate coverage during staff vacations or leaves.
Regularly review schedules and assign roles accordingly (e.g., MA duties, front desk responsibilities).
Patient Communication:
Verify patient contact details before sending messages.
Use clear language when relaying messages to avoid ambiguity (e.g., specify patient needs such as medications or referrals).
Late Patients:
For patients arriving 10+ minutes late, consult with the provider before proceeding.
Appointments:
Limit nurse visits to 3-4 per session and stagger them throughout the day.
Avoid scheduling nurse visits at the top of a 40-minute visit.
Intake and Documentation:
Scan patient IDs annually.
Collect updated insurance and prescription cards at visits.
Verify DOBs when filing to avoid errors with patients having similar names.
Direct new patients to the website for paperwork before scheduling.
Updox Filing System:
Tag the provider who ordered lab work or consult records.
Archive resolved messages and avoid handling unrelated files.
Save all insurance referrals and key documents to patient charts.
Incidents and Safety:
Report any accidents outside the building using the shared incident report form.
Ensure all space heaters are off before leaving for the day.
Medical Assistant Duties
Introduce yourself to patients during check-ins.
Perform medication reconciliation by thoroughly reviewing med lists with patients. Mark completion using the med rec button.
Properly triage phone and video visit requests; serious symptoms (e.g., chest pain) should be escalated for in-person visits or hospital referral.
Follow up on messages in the nursing box if they’ve been pending for over two days.
Log vaccine lot numbers accurately in patient charts.
Utilize the whiteboard to track prior authorizations and ensure timely follow-up.
Referrals and Imaging:
Initiate and follow through with referrals or imaging requests to avoid duplication or confusion.
Check Evicore for pending statuses and provide additional clinical information if necessary.
Front Desk Responsibilities
Check in patients promptly and collect copays.
Encourage patients to complete paperwork in the exam room if not done beforehand.
Redirect new intake patients to complete paperwork and submit records before scheduling appointments.
Avoid "meet and greet" appointments; schedule full intakes instead.
Respond to spillover calls from the nursing desk during busy periods.
Ensure clarity when interacting with patients at the window; manage lines efficiently.
Annual Wellness Visits (AWV):
Confirm Medicare Part B status for patients turning 65 before sending paperwork.
Allocate time slots for patients requiring lab slips or BP checks before year-end.
Provider-Specific Policies
Asynchronous Visits:
Utilize patient questionnaires for common conditions (e.g., UTIs, colds). Review and address by day’s end.
Special Notes and Updates
COVID-19 Protocols:
Patients with respiratory symptoms must test negative for COVID-19 before entering the office.
Masks are optional for staff and healthy patients; symptomatic patients must wear masks.
Electronic Device Usage:
Limit personal phone usage during work hours; focus on work tasks.
End-of-Day Tasks:
Front Desk: Clean office areas, take out trash, and organize waiting rooms.
MAs: Clean exam rooms, ensure all messages and filing are complete, and check with providers before leaving.
Training and Staff Development
Provide ongoing training for new staff (e.g., vaccine administration, filing standards).
Reorganize shared folders to ensure easy access to updated forms and policies.
Encourage better communication through tools like whiteboards and regular check-ins.
This document represents the combined efforts to ensure efficient operations and high-quality care for our patients. For clarifications, please refer to Dr. Way or the respective department leads.