House Call programs can become more efficient, drive collaboration and enhance overall effectiveness by optimizing their daily operations. These operations can include managing phone calls, paperwork, record requests, and geographic scheduling; confirming appointments and verifying insurance, conducting patient intake and processing referrals, and assisting with practice billing and coding, among other areas.
Here are several tips to help your practice be successful:
- Develop scripting and decision-tree guides for the front office to follow when speaking with new patients
- Use real-time eligibility within the Electronic Health Record (EHR) to verify active patients and correct insurance prior to patients being seen
- Consider using an electronic fax platform with E-Signature capability to streamline orders and paperwork
- Use clear and concise patient intake and referral checklists to ensure appropriate information is collected in advance and services are explained upon enrollment
- Define territory zones for each provider and use map-based tools to plan visits and routes
- Don’t confirm appointments until one week to a few days beforehand to allow for schedule flexibility and ensure patients/caregivers are expecting the provider
- Explore Health Information Exchange (HIE) options in your area for prompt access to medical records
- Determine which services may require a review to ensure documentation and coding requirements are met and provide real-time feedback to the providers
- Taking the time upfront to optimize these operations will prevent task duplication, promote efficiency, and increase patient and team satisfaction.