Digital Bariatrics News

Pre-operative workup

5/30/2006 9:48:32 AM

The pre-operative workup is tracked in detail by the BPM. As each evaluation is completed and received by the practice, it is updated in the BPM. We use an eFax account that sends our practice all of our faxes as attached pdf documents. The coordinator then uploads these pdf documents into the BPM. Patients can check to ensure that we have received their workup items by logging on to the portal and reviewing their workup progress. This feature has decreased our call volume significantly since it prevents the need for the "did you receive my cardiology consultation" phone call. Any phone calls that are received are easily answered by reviewing the workup screen in the BPM, allowing our coordinators to work seamlessly with each other and avoid duplication of efforts.

Our coordinators regularly check the "Workup Status" list which shows the progress of all of the pre-operative patients' workup progress, in order of degree of completeness. This allows coordinators to find those patients with one or two items left to complete and push their workup along.

When the workup is complete, the surgeon can leaf through the BPM and review the important documents with a single click, rather than thumbing through 100's of pages of documented weight loss to find a four page cardiology consult. After the surgeon signs off on the patient, the coordinator automatically generates a letter for the patient to request pre-authorization for the procedure, complete with a list of all co-morbid conditions and the ICD-9 codes.