Patient Care Process - Flowchart

The Patient care process can be broken down into four main stages. These are illustrated and described in the flowchart below, with additional analysis on possible adjustments to the process. 

Registration

Registration occurs at the initial point of contact between the patient and hospital. In normal conditions, this is the first stage in a patient’s care, though it may be overtaken by others in special circumstances, most notably, emergencies – accidents and natural calamities. During registration, a patient provides details about their identity, where they work (or their occupation), insurance arrangements, and whether any balance applicable will be paid via cash or credit. At the same time, any details that require verification before a patient goes on to the next stage, such as insurance details are confirmed at this stage. This being complete, the patient can undergo preliminary medical examination, to identify the health issue that necessitated the visit to the hospital. The results of this evaluation informs the hospital, and doctor in particular, whether the patient can be treated and be discharged, or needs admission for further treatment and observation.  (KPJ, n.d.)

In some instances, the registration officer may refuse registration to those they deem, based on the hospital’s criteria, do not deserve/need any kind of medical care that the hospital can reasonably offer. The registration process is automated, and linked to the electronic health records system. IT is carried out by reception personnel, in collaboration with Health Information Management department. (CMS, 2013)

Admission

After the hospital, through the doctor in charge of the case decides that the patients will need to be admitted, the next stage kicks in. Here, the hospital looks at the availability of rooms in the wards. After this, the patient is prepared for any treatment or other procedure decided upon, by checking them into the rooms, getting in touch with their family or friends, and any other relevant thing. It is important that in case patients have been scheduled for surgical operations, their rooms be as close as possible to the operating theater, to minimize any discomfort and inconveniences for all those involved. A shorter version of registration also takes place here. Patients need to agree to any operation to be performed on them, and have this documented in their official files. (UR-Strong, n.d.)

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Treatment and Review

The main stage in the whole process now kicks in. having already been diagnosed with whatever ails them, the patients are now up for the relief, either through operations as discussed above, or therapy using prescribed drugs. These medicines are generally administered by nurses, with doctor’s directions and minimal supervision. As the whole process is going on, continuous review is going on, to detect any areas in need of attention, and to ensure that the patient is recovering as expected. Any side effects to the procedures undergone is also reviewed and addressed. Technology such as life support machines and other machinery may be used to stabilize or help in the recovery process as the doctor may deem fit.

Discharge

With the client having recovered to a level where the doctor is satisfied that recovery can continue at home, the client is released. The discharge process involves review of the case to ensure that the patient has recovered enough, settlement of any fees, and documentation of the same. Insurance companies may not be as prompt in reimbursing hospital expenses at the time is being discharged. The hospital can have assurances, however on this and proceed to release the client. The patient is also advised of any visits that they may need to make to the hospital for monitoring or further treatment. (Leigh, 2011)

Analysis and Improvement

The process can generally be considered to be running smoothly. However, the process clearly involved a lot of parties – doctors, insurance, nurses, receptionists, HIM professionals, and the patients themselves. There are some small adjustments that can be introduced to enable the process run even more smoothly. For example, the process of registration involves a large number of people, which can compromise its efficiency and involve more time than necessary.

Cooperation, though present, needs to be increased to help all staff work together towards the collective goal of customer satisfaction and the best hare for patients. This can only be done when there are clear goals for the staff members that enables information and expertise sharing.

Conclusion

The process described here does not always follow the process illustrated in the flowchart. However, reasons for deviations from this path can only be attributed to events out of the ordinary, rather than normal occurrences. Not every customer follows the process, as others are discharged without admission, while others are transferred or referred to other institutions. Further still, some, unfortunately, do not make it to the end of the line. The flowchart has been simplified and does not include some of these possible eventualities in the hospital’s operations.