What Is Patient Management?

Hospitals that deal with thousands of patients a day face many logistical challenges, including time management and record-keeping. Hospitals need effective patient management that deals with patients from admission to discharge, in order to run the operation smoothly.

Registrar

• One of the first goals of effective patient management is to have a qualified and experienced registrar. The registrar is the first interaction any patient has with hospital staff. The registrar must be able to answer critical questions and point the patient in the right direction. Without help from a capable registrar, patients may enter the hospital confused and frustrated. This can lead to general unhappiness among patients attending the hospital.

Patient Information

• Another important aspect of patient management is record keeping. With thousands of patients on file and hundreds constantly being added, any healthcare establishment must have detailed and precise record- keeping. Storing patient information in databases with look-up queries by name, record number and attending doctor allows quick and easy access to the history of any patient. If the record-keeping process is intensive, it may slow down day-to-day business. In addition, not locating patient records promptly will upset and frustrate patients.

Accurate Claims

• Another important aspect of patient management is processing accurate insurance claims. Hospitals are businesses. The ultimate goal is to provide a service while making money. However, without a streamlined claims service it is nearly impossible to keep track of all insurance contracts for every patient. Proper patient management ensures the collection of accurate patient and insurance information.

Information Exchange

• Patient management also involves proper allocation of data and records throughout the different departments. Accurate exchange of information between departments is crucial to any hospital since a patient's assessments require input from multiple professionals in different departments. One example is the transfer of information from the attending doctor to the pharmacist and back to the attending doctor. In order to administer the proper medications and treatment, a hospital must have accurate methods of information exchange.