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Tag: healthcare information

The rise of sports science

One element which has emerged very clearly from the Olympic Games is the extent to which sports science has grown up. Competitor after competitor has talked about getting a massage or having some treatment.  We already knew that sport had moved on but the unmistakeable message is that  sporting prowess is now inextricably linked with science and medicine; with psychologists, food nutritionists and physiotherapists all playing their part.

In fact it’s not just the Olympic athletes who will benefit from physiotherapy.  A team of veterinary physiotherapists has also been drafted in to look after the needs of the 180 or so horses taking part in the Olympic and Paralympic games.

Whilst the top teams travel with their own support staff, the Olympic organisers have also drafted in a range of medical practitioners to help look after the athletes.  One such, physiotherapist Sian Vaughan-Evans, has even postponed her honeymoon in favour of helping out this summer.  Mrs Vaughan-Evans told the London Evening Standard that she was looking forward to meeting “athletes from around the world and sharing their Olympic experience, and doing what I can to aid recovery, prevent and treat injuries.”

This dedication to providing treatment is something which we see time and time again in the health practitioners that we come into contact with via Clinic Appointments.  Perhaps it is because those who take advantage of our virtual receptionist service are constantly seeking ways to improve patient service and maximise treatment times.  Using the Clinic Appointments service means that whilst patients are being treated, our reception team are booking appointments, answering simple queries and sending out appointment reminders.  This means that patient treatment time is not taken up in answering the phone or administration and prospective patients are not lost due to unanswered calls.

When it comes to providing treatment it doesn’t really matter if the patient is a top athlete or someone who has twisted their ankle getting off a bus.  The important thing is to provide the right treatment as quickly as possible to aid speedy recovery.  Maximising the time available for treatment is one way to ensure that patients are not kept waiting for days to receive an appointment.

As an added bonus, taking advantage of the Clinic Appointment practice management and patient record services just might free up some time in the evening.  This enables practitioners to watch or take part in their favourite sporting activities in free time which would otherwise be spent sending invoices or filing records.

The Draft Care and Support Bill

After months of speculation, leaks and pre-emptive comments, the draft Care and Support Bill has been published.  Accompanied by eight fact sheets, impact and equality assessments the Bill is no lightweight.  For those interested in reading the full text or who intend to post formal comments on individual clauses the link to the bill is shown at the end of this article.

In releasing the Bill the Government’s stated aim is to consolidate a number of different laws into a single statute and to transform social care “from a service that reacts to crises to one that focuses on prevention and is built around the needs and goals of people”

One of the central planks of the Bill is the idea that people will control over how their individual needs are to be met.  This includes both a drive towards remaining in the family home for as long as possible and a personal budget to enable individuals to optimise their own care.   This will enable individuals to create a care package which is far more wide reaching than a simple need to be bathed or dressed.  In Factsheet 4 one example given is that part of the budget could be spent on gym membership which provides the exercise needed to aid recovery.

With personal care based on individual needs the way is open for health practitioners to make a real difference to people’s lives.  Whether by providing osteopathy or chiropody services, massage or exercise regimes or even helping with personal appearance; life could become far more fulfilling for those helping to provide personal care services.

This means that it is more important than ever to take steps to maximise patient care times and minimise “office” time.  One vital step in this direction could be the use of a virtual receptionist service.  With calls, diary appointments and even patient records taken care of the health practitioner can concentrate on making the most of helping their clients and growing their business.

By the time the draft Care and Support Bill has would its way through the Parliamentary process it may well be a very different animal from the one we see today.  But, whatever the result, maximising patient care time is one step that we can all take with or without the Bill.

http://www.dh.gov.uk/health/2012/07/careandsupportbill/

Prioritising Patient Records

On 21 May the Department of Health published its information strategy setting out a ten year plan for improving information management across health and social care.  Key targets include providing people with access to their own records online by 2015, promoting online appointment booking and the ability to share test results on line.

The information strategy, subtitled “The power of information” has a two fold aim.  Firstly it seeks to improve the patient-professional partnership by providing patients with access to their records and thereby improve informed choice decisions.  Secondly the strategy recognises that a system which efficiently collates patient records will save time and money as well as improving care.

The proposals have received broadly positive responses.  Although the BMA has raised a concern over security of records, particularly across shared systems, it has also gone on record to say that it supports “the sharing of relevant information between healthcare professionals.”  The Chief Executive of the NHS commissioning board, Sir David Nicholson, commented that the adoption of an information strategy is the first step “in a genuine cultural shift in the NHS that will enable the service to work at its most efficient and give patients real power and choice.”

Certainly the more work which can be done on computerising patient records the better.  Health professionals work in a time pressured environment and time spent looking for records is time which is not spent on patient treatment.    This is one of the reasons why Clinic Appointments instituted its Patient Records service.  This enables health care professionals to upload and view clinical notes, x-ray and scan records as well as client invoices.  The software is simple to use and the secure records can be accessed at any time 24/7.

Keeping patient records in one place means the end of searching for missing records; it means that patient histories can be viewed at a glance and eventually it will mean that information can be shared with others under the information strategy.  Linking the patient records service with diary management and virtual receptionist services frees up clinicians to do what they do best.   So, no more filing, no more searching and no more phone answering, just client treatments.

The Department of Health and the NHS Commissioning Board have until April 2013 to finalise the information standards and route map.  In the meantime the Clinic Appointments Patient Records Service is there for health professionals who are looking to cut down on administration time now.

Contact us today to discover how Clinic Appointments can help your clinic. Book your free demo call now to learn more.