Alleviate the Fear of Hospitals: Keep Your Patients from Getting Lost in the Shuffle

There’s a long and menacing-sounding word with which you may be unfamiliar: nosocomephobia. It’s defined as an intense fear of hospitals, and even the bravest souls likely experience some form of this phobia upon admission.

The prospect of a hospital stay, we can agree, is an emotional experience for all patients – fears, phobias, stress, and questions all swirl in our head. And even the discharge experience adds to the uncertainty: Once I get out of the wheelchair and into the car, what next?

As a doctor, we swore an oath to do no harm. But if you are relying on your old-school, paper-and-cards method of hospital charge capture, are you really doing everything you can to support your patients’ mental and physical health?

I’ve heard countless stories where patients who have been discharged from the hospital attempt to reach out to the doctor’s office to follow up, only to find that the staff is completely in the dark. The staff ends up being reactive rather than proactive – and the task of providing adequate care becomes even harder.

For any practice, no two worlds are farther apart than the inpatient and outpatient ones. Sadly, in all too many cases, there exists a true disconnection between the goings-on in the hospital and the support staff back at the office. Unfortunately, this gap often leads to loss of patient follow up, suboptimal care, and in certain instances, hospital readmissions.

One App Can Bridge the Gap

What if a single mobile app could build the bridge between lowered expectations and higher satisfaction? With the EVOLVE suite of mobile hospital charge capture software, you can eliminate the risk of subjecting your patients to a post-discharge nightmare such as the example mentioned above.

We heard of one doctor who experienced firsthand the way that the app accelerates the charge capture process to the speed of life. This doctor was preparing a patient for discharge. He tapped a few times on his mobile rounding and charge capture solution to arrange follow up, and a minute later the patient’s phone rang.

To the shock of both doctor and patient, the patient said, “Hang on…it’s YOUR office.” Indeed, it was. A few beats after he interacted with the app, the doctor’s office staff received a notification that the patient was pending discharge and that follow-up was needed – and called right away to give him appointment details. The patient hung up the phone with a giant weight lifted off his shoulders, and undoubtedly, his impression of the practice changed forever.

A No-Brainer for Any Busy Practice

The moral of this tale is simple: Modern practices need modern solutions. With a comprehensive rounding and charge capture solution, you can instantly up productivity, increase patient satisfaction, and change the game. Rounds are organized, charges are captured immediately for billing – and, most importantly, patients are better served.

The app can even handle discharge planning, which allows providers to indicate disposition, follow up needs, and even enter custom order sets for testing.

Bridging the gap between the hospital and office is one simple way to minimize nosocomephobia – even that which is experienced by doctors! A single mobile charge capture app can make it easier for patients and for staff, improve patient outcomes, and prioritize the needs of high-risk patients upstream. The immediateness of the follow up instructions means staff can put increased focus on the sickest patients – the patients who were more likely to be readmitted. The patients who were mostly likely to get their new meds wrong. The patients who needed testing in a timely manner after discharge.

It’s time for your practice to take a proactive posture to capturing this most essential patient data. By adopting smart solutions to streamline workflows, you’ll improve customer service, increase transparency within the practice, and enhance the quality of care.

For A Better Hospital Rounding Experience

At HybridChart, we provide technology that connects your healthcare team, increases efficiencies, AND improves your bottom line. HybridChart’s cloud-based software adapts to your practice’s unique workflow and will improve your profitability and patient outcomes by utilizing our 5 features: charge capture, census management, secure messaging, discharge planning, and data analytics.

NEVER miss another charge and get PAID for the work you do!

If you are interested in taking your medical practice to the next level and want to employ the best hospital charge capture practice available in the industry, come visit our website at www.hybridchart.com, call us at 1-877-977-5544, or click here to schedule a demo today!