Chiropractic Software Patient Education Promotes Compliance
Getting Past No Can Dr. Ben get past the negativity and work out a solution for his patient education needs? Carmen was helping Jonathan with his homework when Ben arrived home from work. He hadn’t expected kindergarten to have homework — but he also hadn’t expected the meeting at his practice to go so badly. Ben gave a feeble smile over Jonathan’s head as the little boy excitedly told him all about his day, and Carmen responded with a concerned look. Ben was able to set aside the workday as Jonathan described the wonders of kindergarten to him, and the whole family finished up the homework and put it carefully into Jonathan’s backpack. “He’s really enjoying school,” Ben observed as Jonathan ran outside to play. “I know! It’s such a relief — I was worried that he wouldn’t like it,” said his wife. “And of course he’d have to go anyway.” Ben nodded gravely. “Looks like you didn’t really enjoy work today,” Carmen prodded. “And I had to go anyway!” Ben chuckled. “Actually, it was great up until the meeting at the end of the day. I hate meetings.” “You were so well prepared! How come it didn’t go well?” “Actually, the partners had some good points,” Ben admitted. “I guess that’s why I’m so frustrated by it. Somehow when we get together, we just end up in one big negative group mood, listing all the reasons ideas won’t work. I left pretty convinced that my idea won’t wor “So you went in and told them that patient education would increase compliance, and that you need some kind of tool that’s more versatile than a skeleton. Then what?” Ben leaned in. “They said that the body is a very complex system, and we all went to school for years to know what we know. Our patients can’t expect to understand it more fully than they do, and no special tools are going to make it completely clear.” Carmen frowned. “There’s a difference between being a doctor and being an informed patient. Just because patients don’t always fully understand the explanations they’re getting right now, that doesn’t mean that they couldn’t understand enough to help them see the value of adhering to their treatment plan. Especially with some kind of visual or hands-on support. I know those things make a difference when I’m training new workers.” “That’s a good point,” said Ben. “I guess just deciding that it’s hopeless doesn’t make a lot of sense.” “What else did they say?” Ben sighed. “At one point someone said that our patients should just trust us, and that it was all the fault of the internet.” Carmen laughed. “I know it sounds funny, but at the time, we were all getting into that discussion. Some of us are more committed to patient education than others, but even I joined that complaint fest. It does seem as though noncompliance is getting worse.” “So patients with a little information are deciding that they don’t have to do what their doctors say?” Carmen scoffed. “Even if that’s true, the solution surely would be more education, and more accurate information. You can’t stop people from finding information online, but you can be the most trusted source of information.” “You’re making a lot of sense here,” Ben said. He was feeling more cheerful. “I think I can go back with these points, once everyone has had a chance to think about it. I guess a lot of the negative reaction was just about change.” “Change is stressful,” Carmen agreed. “Even if it’s going to be better, it’s more trouble to change than to keep doing what you’re doing.” “What we’re doing isn’t working as well as it should,” Ben said. “I guess I went in with an idea and no real solution, and when everybody went into the usual naysaying, I got swept up in it.” “That’s probably why you hate meetings,” Carmen suggested. “But sometimes people just automatically shoot down an idea even though, with more thought, they’d see the value. I think you should go ahead and identify the tools you need. Make sure they’ll fit into the practice’s regular routine, and bring it up again.”
Chiropractic Software Easy Patient Education
What Do You Really Want? Is knowing what he wants a good enough starting point for Dr. Ben’s patient education program? “I know you’re all about systems,” Ben began, pouring a cup of coffee for his wife. “You know it,” she said, breathing in the heady aroma. “So I’m going to lay this out in a completely systematic way. First, patient noncompliance is a big problem, not just for us but for medical professionals all over the country. I hear that noncompliance costs the U.S. $290 billion a year.” Carmen raised her eyebrows. “Beyond that, patients who follow through on their treatment plans and show up for their appointments and make the lifestyle changes we recommend–” “Compliant patients, in other words,” Carmen said. “Those patients see better results, are happier, and are less likely to go elsewhere for future treatment. In fact, having patients who adhere to their treatment plans leads to a more efficient and cost-effective healthcare delivery system. It also means less patient churn and more professional satisfaction for us.” Carmen nodded. “Very clear so far. Patients who do what you tell them are a good thing.” “Point two is that patients who really understand what’s going on are more likely to cooperate with us and follow through on the things they’re supposed to do.” “Ergo, patients need to be educated.” “Ergo makes it sound especially important. Do you mind if I use that when I pitch this to my partners?” Ben smiled and Carmen returned his smile. “So I think we need a clear, systematic way to educate our patients,” Ben continued. “It needs to be something all of us can use everywhere in the office, and ideally our patients should be able to share it at home, because we know that home support makes a lot of difference.” “Then you need to be able to email it to them, whatever it is,” Carmen suggested. “That’s the easiest way to share things.” “Right. And people respond best to visual information, so it can’t just be a letter or something like that.” “Hmmm.” Carmen pursed her lips thoughtfully. “I’m sold on the idea that you need to educate your patients to increase compliance, and that you need some kind of tools to accomplish this.” “Good,” said Ben, sipping his coffee. “Now what? Is it time for the big sales pitch where you show me a set of encyclopedias?” “I don’t think encyclopedias will do it. In fact, I don’t know what will do it.” “At least you know what you’re looking for,” Carmen said. “That’s what I figured. I have a clear idea and I can go out and find a solution.” “If you explain it that systematically,” his wife suggested, “your partners might even help you.” “Especially if I say ‘ergo,’” Ben finished with a wink. Is knowing what he wants a good enough starting point for Dr. Ben’s patient education program? Disclaimer: For HIPAA compliance, all characters appearing in this post are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons or actual events is purely coincidental.
Chiropractic Software Patient Education Increases Compliance
Personal Growth Could patient education help reduce Dr. Ben’s exasperation with compliance? Ben pulled a weed viciously. His wife looked at him with raised eyebrows. “What did that dandelion ever do to you?” “I guess I’m just exasperated,” Ben said, tossing the weed into a wheelbarrow and starting in on another. “You can take out all your exasperation on these weeds,” Carmen laughed. “But tell me what you’re upset about.” “Another no-show this afternoon!” Ben said, pulling more weeds with more force than was absolutely necessary. “I’m just getting sick of it.” “I thought you had worked out –” “Oh, we have a good system in place now, as far as the practice is concerned. But I still hate it. This particular patient skips half her regular adjustments, and then comes in with pain and emergencies that she probably wouldn’t have if she just followed her treatment plan. It’s frustrating to know that I can’t do my best for her because she won’t cooperate and be in compliance.” Carmen nodded sympathetically, digging out a stubborn root. “I sometimes think,” Ben went on, sitting back on his heels, “that they don’t really get what we’re doing.” “Maybe they don’t,” Carmen suggested. She reached across to help their son with a tough weed he was trying to pull. “They act like what you do is magic. They don’t know why it works, they just feel happy that it does.” “But you see, that attitude means that they don’t follow through with my recommendations.” “You explain things clearly, I know,” Carmen assured him. “I’ve heard you do it.” “Better sometimes than at other times,” Ben admitted. “It depends how busy I am, and which room I’m in — some have better visual aids than others.” Carmen laughed again. “I hadn’t thought of that, but it’s true. Plus, you’re not always the one giving the explanation. It’s not really systematic, is it?” “I guess it’s not,” Ben agreed. “We all just answer questions and give explanations as needed — office staff, too. And of course we work together on patient cases, or with other health care professionals. There can be a lot of people involved in a single medical decision, and we don’t all end up sharing the same information.” “I don’t do a lot of education in my business,” Carmen said, “but I know that anything that doesn’t use a good system ends up taking more work, more time, and more trouble than it needs to.” “Hmm.” Ben stood up, brushing dirt from his knees, and hoisted the wheelbarrow. “It sounds like non-compliant patients are my fault.” “That’s not how I meant it,” objected Carmen. Jonathan scrambled up into the wheelbarrow, shouting that he wanted a ride. “I’m just going with what you said — they don’t always get what you’re doing. Then they might not realize the importance of doing their part.” “I’m doing my part,” Jonathan announced. His parents assured him that he was, and Carmen lifted him down from the wheelbarrow so Ben could tip the weeds onto the compost pile. “A little patient education might do wonders,” Ben said. “I hadn’t really thought about it, but I’m sure the patients would be more cooperative if they understood the value of follow through.” Could patient education help reduce Dr. Ben’s exasperation? Disclaimer: For HIPAA compliance, all characters appearing in this post are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons or actual events is purely coincidental.
Something for the Pain
By Kathleen Casbarro Simplifying coding issues can relieve practice tension How can software make a difference in the ICD-10 changeover? “Doctor!” The box on Ben’s desk squawked. Pam always sounded professional, but Ben knew her well enough to hear the tension in her voice. Ben hesitated for just a moment over the stack of paperwork he’d been plowing through, but decided he should respond to Pam’s obvious stress. As he neared the front desk, he heard raised voices. “You’ve already been to the doctor!” a young woman shouted at an older man whose face was set in pain… or perhaps in stubbornness. “He’s already been to the doctor!” she repeated in Pam’s direction. “Maybe I can help,” Ben offered. “I was in a car accident–” the older man began. “My dad has been to the doctor and to the hospital,” the young woman said firmly, “and they told him it was back pain and it would get better in time. They gave him pain medication to take and he won’t take it. Now he’s insisting on coming here, and I don’t think his insurance will pay. I just want to take him home.” Family altercations weren’t as common in Ben’s chiropractic clinic as they were in hospitals, but he recognized the situation. The daughter was worried that her dad wouldn’t be able to pay, the old man was still in pain, and their worries were showing up as anger. “Let me take these good people back and have a little chat,” he said calmly to Pam. Getting the shouting out of his waiting room was the first priority. He’d get them calmed down, explain the situation, and then bring them back to Pam for intake, and the paperwork — well, it looked like he’d be working late again. It was hours later when Ben had a chance to discuss the event with Pam. “I’ve been thinking about the man who’d had a car accident,” she said. “We’re always careful to avoid using the ICD-9 code 724.5 for back pain because it tends not to get paid. We make sure to use the most specific code we can so the patient’s insurance will be able to pay.” Ben nodded. “I realized that I don’t have that knowledge about the new ICD-10 codes,” Pam continued. “We’re always focused on the people we treat, but the paperwork is what allows us to keep the doors open and take care of those people. I’m worrying that the new insurance reporting codes will get in the way.” “I think we may have a solution,” Ben said. “I’ve been talking with the people at Genesis — the new practice management software. They had a really sensible approach to it. Three things: assessment, documentation, and implementation. That’s better than focusing on the 70,000 new codes, right?” “It might be,” Pam said uncertainly, “If I knew just what that meant.” Ben laughed. “Fair enough,” he said. “What I get is that the software will cluster the codes into groups so we can drill down to the right one, instead of trying to memorize everything. We’ll be able to see the relevant ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes on the billing screen, along with which payers are using each set, and we’ll have a crosswalk that will let us learn and train before the deadline.” “All on the billing screen?” Pam sounded excited. “That sounds workable.” “Workable,” Ben repeated. “That’s it exactly. It’s like when we get a patient having a meltdown in the front office — we may feel a little stress, but we have workable systems in place to handle it, and it turns out well.” How can software make a difference in the ICD-10 changeover?
