Paper-based Practice Improves Quality of Care with Easy-to-use Technology

At the end of each workday, Yvette Konopka, receptionist for the private practice of Mark Sawka, MD, prepares the charts for the next day's patients. When she does so, she includes a simple one-page encounter form for each patient that clinicians at the practice have come to rely on. Generated by Cielo Clinic^TM, the patient encounter form provides a snapshot of each patient's current problems as well as reminders for screening, prevention, and chronic disease management services for which he or she is due. The single-page forms are printed automatically based on the next day's schedule, a simple step that has made a significant improvement in the quality of care Dr. Sawka's practice provides.

Once in the examination room, Dr. Sawka and his staff rely on the Cielo Clinic encounter form for a quick overview of the patient's history and services due. "I don't have to go looking all over the chart for what I need," says Dr. Sawka. "Everything is summarized on one page." As they are finishing an exam, clinicians review care reminders with the patient, marking off the appropriate status. These reminders are customized by Dr. Sawka to meet specific standards of care, and ensure that, "Things don't fall through the cracks." For example, if a female patient visits the office for an isolated problem such as a sore throat, the care provider will also immediately see if she is due for another service, such as a PAP or mammogram. Regarding such situations, Dr. Sawka states, "I am sure this has saved lives."

"...even if you are using paper charts, you can add it on easily."

Once the exam is complete and the encounter form has been updated, the front desk staff enters the new information into Cielo Clinic's patient registry. "It's very easy to do," says Yvette, describing the process. This ensures that when a patient returns, care providers are prompted to follow up as appropriate on that patient's needs, and are not prompted for needs that have already been appropriately addressed.

When office manager Judy Daly prints the next day's encounter forms, she knows they are the most up-to-date and accurate. Both she and Yvette agree; Cielo Clinic has integrated well into the practice's day-to-day workflow, even with their continued reliance on paper-based records. "It's not a hard system to learn," as Judy puts it. Dr. Sawka explains, "Even if you are using paper charts, you can add it on easily - it's not a difficult thing."

It has been two years since the practice began using Cielo Clinic, and in that time Dr. Sawka and his staff have experienced real benefits. Not only has it helped the practice financially - the system's reminders for services have resulted in more patient contact hours - it has also improved the quality of care each patient receives. Simply put, "Cielo Clinic has made me a better doctor," says Dr. Sawka. "We'd like to think we can hold all of this in our heads, but we can't."

Clinical Quality News

Volume 1 Issue 3 - September 2008

INSIDE THE ISSUE

Paper-based Practice Improves Quality of Care with Easy-to-use Technology

10 "Must Haves" in a CQMS

News @ Cielo MedSolutions

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Who's Using Cielo Clinic^TM

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