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about a latex allergy, for example, or to order pre-op tests for high blood pressure. But many times, all patients need is a quick call with a reminder about when to be NPO, when to arrive for surgery and the amount of their co-pay.
"Before, our nurses had to call every single patient," says Alena Pochman, RN, the clinical director of the Peak One Surgery Center.
"Now, if we see from the [online] answers that the patient is healthy,
there's no reason to call that patient."
Peak One has been using online admissions for a year. About 50% of patients complete their histories online by themselves and another 40% do so with assistance from a nurse who enters data for the patient.
"We're doing 900 to 1,000 cases per month," says Dr. Lennon. "So if we're saving 30 to 45 minutes on 500 patients, were saving a lot of surgery center manpower."
About 10% insist on giving their histories old-fashioned way: over the phone. "You can't please every one," says Ms. Pochman. "Some patients really don't want their information displayed on the Internet." If you encounter any such resistance, for the sake of consistency and convenience, Ms. Pochman suggests you fill out the online registration for the patient.
A hurdle you'll have to overcome early is getting the schedulers at your surgeons' offices to educate patients about online patient registration, says Dr. Lennon. "It adds one more item that surgeons need to tell patients before they book with you," he says.
Ms. Pochman appreciates that her online patient registration program will automatically populate her facility's anesthesia evaluation form, history and physical, and medication reconciliation form "with the most important information" for hard-copy printing or electronic storage. "Upon discharge, it makes the process easier, especially for elderly patients taking many medications," she says. "Because it's computerized, it's very legible. Not all of us
