Work Smarter Not Harder

Jan 12

By Christina Onolaja, MHA

Work smarter not harder is a phrase often heard in many settings, not just healthcare but what does that mean in the primary care world? How can we work smarter not harder when there is so much work to be done? Change in any form can be difficult and scary, especially when it involves new technology. Finding the right solution and gaining buy-in from providers and team members can be the most difficult part of this process even if the solution will make their job easier. The key is to engage the affected team members early on, share the vision, acknowledge the loss of the old way, and give them opportunities to participate in the process.

There are a number of ways to streamline the clinical documentation process starting with prepping charts. In Let’s Talk Pre-Visit Planning, we discuss the value of prepping a chart for the visit prior to the encounter stating, “Pre-visit planning is a strategy used to maximize the benefits of a healthcare visit with extra preparation, focusing the appointment, and creating a patient-specific care plan”.

Healthcare providers struggle to move smoothly through a visit and stay on schedule when they cannot find information needed to complete their assessment. This could include historical records if the patient is new to the practice, lab results, imaging reports, or specialty consult notes. Logging into other systems and searching through incomplete records further delays the visit causing patient frustration and limits the amount of patients a provider can care for.

Most EMRs have the option for chart prepping prior to the patient’s appointment date. Using this feature as well as software like Affirm Health’s Huddle can streamline the visit process and ensure the provider has the information they need to complete the visit in the time allotted and focus more on the patient sitting in front of them rather than staring at their computer screen. When considering the implementation of pre-visit planning, it is important to understand what data is most necessary to streamline the visit. This should include labs, imaging, immunizations, and special visits required by value-based contracts to receive incentive payments. The Huddle tool takes the guesswork out of which items are due and can simplify this task.

Creating a standard list of documentation to be completed in advance will make it easier for staff to know what information to collect. If there are different expectations based on provider, insurance, age, gender, etc., it will be confusing to staff which could result in missing information. Providers, administrators, and staff should collaborate to create the standard to ensure a variety of functions are taken into consideration. During this collaboration, identify champions who will support the change and encourage others to embrace a new, more streamlined way of preparing for and conducting patient visits. Ultimately, pre-visit planning will make a visit run more smoothly for the patient and the provider allowing the team to work smarter, not harder.