Transcript Scott & White Title Here

Scott & White
Referral Communication
Improvement Project
Summarizing Our Problems
• TOO MUCH PAPER
– Fax Volume exceeds technology (“busy”, files too big, refax, machine
breaks)
– Can’t readily track paper (gets lost, etc.)
• Internal communication inefficiencies/processing inefficiencies
• External communication inefficiencies/breakdowns
• We can’t track effectiveness/speed of referral process
Summarizing Our Problems
The referring offices say:
• You take too long to schedule the appointment
• You lose our information too often and ask us to fax again
• We don’t know where the referral stands during the process
• You don’t notify us about the appointment on a consistent basis
Solution
• Utilize Physician Relations database solution to automate processes,
communicate with outside offices, communicate internally, and organize
our work
– Capture and store the fax electronically
– Portal for outside offices to view status of the referral request
– Automatically push information to the specialty desks
– Automatically communicate with the outside offices
• Partners
– SalesForce.com – Database used by Physician Relations Department
– KnowledgeBin – Accepts and stores fax documents electronically
– Astadia – Consultant working with Scott & White to manage project
and customize SalesForce.com
Too Much Paper – Solution
• Referral information (request form, patient information) is faxed to
designated fax numbers (Temple PRN initially). It is not printed on a fax
machine, but stored digitally. SalesForce scans the database when a fax
arrives and automatically files them with the referring clinic’s “record.”
SalesForce users have access to this information.
• Fax will never be busy and never run out of paper!
• Clinic specialty desks will be provided with KnowledgeBin user licenses to
allow them to search for, access, and print (if necessary) these documents.
Internal Communication Inefficiencies/
Processing Effectiveness - Solution
• PRN will maintain, through SalesForce, the “master log” of referral requests
• Each specialty division to provide a mail box to receive communications.
• When a referral request comes in to PRN, they will send a link to the fax to
the specialty desk inbox. Divisions can click link and log-in through
KnowledgeBin to view fax. (Potential future phase - integration with Novell
sign-on so login not necessary)
• SalesForce will auto-send daily e-mails to divisions with outstanding
requests
Internal Communication Inefficiencies/
Processing Effectiveness - Solution
• Desks can search for fax online by multiple criteria – Patient
Name, DOB, referring clinic, referring physician, etc.
• Because of NextGen and IDX Centricity workflow
functionality, SalesForce will not be a “back end” solution.
• Download to occur nightly from MIDAS – Appointments
scheduled or revised from the previous day will auto-populate
the “referral record.”
External Communication
Inefficiencies/Breakdowns – Solution
• Portal developed for outside clinic
• Log-in to view status
• Click to request update – auto-e-mail generated
• Communication with outside clinic
• Auto-confirmation of receipt of fax
• Auto communication by e-mail, if requested
• Morning summary – Outside clinic receives auto e-mail or fax daily
regarding appointments scheduled for their patients.
• MIDAS integration = Fewer appointment confirmations that “fall through
the cracks.”
Can’t track effectiveness/speed of referral
process- Solution
• Reports to be created to measure the time taken across each
stage of the referral. Data can be used for future modifications.
More info
• Questions: Contact Temple PRN – x 42218 or
• Physician Relations – x 48559
• The following slide is a screen shot of what a specialty
department will see when it the user clicks on the link
sent via e-mail or logs in to view faxes at
clinicops.sw.org, clicking on “Practice Portal” Link in
the right navigation.
Click through the pdf to view,
as you normally would
Print or save the
document here, if
necessary.
Can search by
multiple criteria
Results displayed –
Click on file name to
view fax.
A preview of fax is
then displayed on the
right