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In This Issue:
A Spotlight on Enhancing Referring Physician Communication
BWH has begun to roll out its next phase of Service Excellence. As part of the 2004 “Enhancing Referring Physician Satisfaction” project, a team was brought together in mid-March for a design session to create a road map for the project, discuss prototypes and define next steps.
Specifically, one prototype to tackle enhanced communication will examine refining current patient-specific clinical information sent to outside physicians at the time of discharge. This may include making the current discharge letter into more of a comprehensive packet with more robust treatment and testing information. Using another selected prototype, the team will work to improve outpatient communication. They will be looking at ways to ensure that 100 percent of post-visit notes are sent along to appropriate parties involved in the patient’s care continuum.
The team is also looking at ways to enhance access to inpatient and outpatient services for referring physicians. One prototype being developed involves creation of a central call area to coordinate referring physician requests for patient appointments, phone consults, urgent diagnostic studies, and transfers, as needed.
Two months into the process, the Enhancing Referring Physician Satisfaction team’s work is off to a good start in the areas mentioned. Over the next year they will also be working to improve the capture and accuracy of PCP and referring physician information at the time of registration, and the accuracy of physician contact information and preferences. A process for getting regular periodic referring physician feedback will also be developed and implemented.
“We are fortunate to have a lot of energy going into this project. We are tackling complex issues and processes, but team members are interested in developing effective, systematic solutions,” said Robert Goldszer MD, MBA, associate chief medical officer. Goldszer is an executive sponsor of this Service Excellence team, along with Marketing and Planning’s Vicki Amalfitano. The project manager is Tom Gakis, senior consultant within the BW/F Center for Clinical Excellence. All staff are encouraged to contact Goldszer, Amalfitano, or Gakis with any questions or improvement ideas.