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Reprints
The one that comes most frequently to mind is the fact that some of our smaller practices have a front-desk person who is also the medical assistant, the biller, etc. Because we set our security rules so rigid, we didn’t take into account these multi-faceted practices that have those people float throughout their practice. Our traditional roles didn’t always fit for those smaller practices. This was a small mistake and we addressed it quickly.
How has the project progressed over the past year?
We’ve added new specialties since last year. Where it has progressed now is more forward thinking, and towards advancing patient care across specialties. Imagine wanting to know how many patients are of a certain age. This is a normal question all IPAs ask. That’s a tradition question. With an enterprise chart, you can not only find out how old the patients are and how many patients the primary care physician sees, but you can also find out how often the PCP sees them, and how often do they do everything but see them. By that, we mean you can find out when he has a phone call with the patient, or when he processes the patient’s lab results. You can look at the member touch point. Instead of the traditional, ‘I have 10 Medicare patients and I’ve seen them six times each,’ you get ‘I have 10 Medicare patients and I’ve seen them six times each, but I’ve helped them 23 times total.” It’s real work volume. It also allows us to implement evidence based clinical guidelines. With that, we can see if the patient is being cared for across the continuum.
