What Is Important About Patient Information Sheets free essay sample

Have you ever been to the doctor and wondered, â€Å"Why do I have to fill out all these forms? † or â€Å"Do they really need to know all this information? † The answer to those questions is YES. There are many components to the information sheet that contain pertinent information for the physician and staff of the medical office. Therefore, there are many reasons why these sheets are so important. However, not all information sheets are the same and some may contain different information based on or according to the type of practice. One of the first components on these sheets is the patient address and telephone information. It is important to have this information and make sure that it is kept up-to-date so that if the office needs to get a hold of you for any reason, such as: being scheduled for a test, then they have all of the correct information to do so. We will write a custom essay sample on What Is Important About Patient Information Sheets or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Also included in this portion can be an emergency contact, just in case they cannot reach you. The next important component is insurance information. It is also important to keep this information up-to-date so that the facility can properly bill the right insurance, if you have insurance, and process the correct co-pay amount if you have one. If you should happen to change jobs and your health insurance company or coverage changes this should be changed on your form on your next visit. Also in this area of the sheet, there is a section where you will record secondary insurance coverage if you have a spouse or parent that may still have coverage for you. Again, this will be extremely helpful to the billing staff of the facility. Some information sheets will also include a medical history of some sort. Some are very extensive and want to know absolutely everything. I received two separate information â€Å"packets† from two different practices. Neither one of them is very extensive in what information they want for your medical history, listing only a few different things. No where on either sheet could I find a place to write any kind of allergies that you may have. In my own opinion, I believe this to be an extremely important thing to have. I do know from experience that the Delton Medical Center has this information in their computer, but if by chance something happens to their computer system and the information gets â€Å"lost†, this information would be a good thing to have in the chart also. Some facilities that I have been to, such as a dentist office, go into an extensive medical history sometimes including your immediate family such as: your parents, grandparents, and siblings. By going into such depth, they can use this as a reference or â€Å"warning sign† for illnesses or conditions that may arise for you as the patient. Some medical practices will also include the financial policies and a form stating what the responsibilities of the physicians and staff are and what you can expect from them. Also what they expect from you as a patient of their practice. Many will include when payment is expected and the cancellation policy. In almost all cases there will also be â€Å"consent to release† medical information so that your information can be released to insurance companies and possibly employers. If you should decide to change offices or physicians, this form will also be used. Lastly, in this packet you may receive, there is a HIPAA Privacy Authorization Form. This also is an important document for both the patient and the medical office. This form will give the physician authorization to disclose health information pertaining to you if need be. If you do not fill out this form then the physician or medical staff cannot release any information to anyone about your condition as your health condition is confidential. I think of it as a type of a permission slip for someone to obtain your information but only if you have stated this on the form. As I mentioned earlier, not all information sheets are the same. They do not all contain the exact information on them. Some of them are short and sweet and some of them take you a long time to fill out. Some will take your information using a computer so that you don’t have to fill out all the papers. Most hospitals have switched to using this computer method. Someone will come around with a laptop computer on a cart complete with a scanner and ask you the questions that they believe to be important such as: our name, phone number, address, and emergency contact. At this time, they will also scan your insurance card if you have one so that it can be attached to your file in the computer record. Whether it is long, short, computerized or hand written, all information on a patient information form has its importance for both you and the medical facility. They should be filled out correctly and honestly and also read thoroughly for both your benefit and the medical facility.