Registration Admission Discharge and Transfer

The Registration step of the RADT process is a vital procedure for the patients’ inclusion at the healthcare facility. This process makes up part of key policies and procedures for any healthcare institution as it is the first step of accountability. The patient’s key information is added to the hospital’s records and usually includes data fields such as;

• First Name/ Last Name
• Date of Birth
• Form of Identification
• Identification No.
• Age
• Reason for Visit etc.

At this point the patients’ record is included in the hospital’s data or medical records department. Registration is necessary as it allows for the hospital to keep a track of various services that are provided to each patient and financially, tracking the cost of each service to bill the patient. In some instances, this process also includes the referral process whereby a patient is sent from one service to another. These referrals are usually directed to private practitioners or community agencies. In many cases , referrals come from primary care providers ( P C Ps ) viz. GP , MD, Family Practitioners etc. These PCP’s refer their patients for further care to specialists for further diagnosis or treatments like radiography , ultrasounds , scans , XRays etc. or to specialist physicians – whether to private or government institutions. As compared to olden times, patients are now encouraged to be more informed and involved in their personal healthcare decisions. PCP’s should engage and explain the patient’s medical situation , objectives of treatment , priority treatments and options available.

The main idea of helping the patient in this way is still prioritised in the world of modern medicine , but performed in a faster , functional way to make the patient experience a better one. There are four levels of care, viz., primary , secondary , tertiary and quaternary care. These levels of care follow a natural progression from one level to the other. The primary care provider establishes if the patient’s medical need is routine , urgent or an emergency , before re-directing the patient. Primary Care is performed by doctors , nurses and first responders. Secondary care is at the level of specialists. Tertiary care / Hospitalisation is where a higher medical skill set and / or equipment is required – i.e. for complex procedures or treatment , dialysis , surgeries etc. Quaternary care is a further level of care that demands more specialised , unusual , equipment and personnel.

The inclusion of using Hospital Management Information Systems in the registration and referral system can alleviate some of the following issues :

Assessment and treatment: Doctors / PCPs / clinics , can assist in advising the necessary secondary care services and how to avail them. This also helps in assuring a quicker time frame for the patient’s further assessment and treatment. In olden times patients had to source their own level of care, which can now be handled much more effectively and quickly , saving time and money for the patient.

Digital documents: Doctors and patients both prefer online access to documents rather than carry or refer to hardcopies for their diagnoses , assessments, records etc. Hardcopies run the risk of getting misplaced, physical damage or could be filing error. These can be avoided assuring safety when they are digitally stored on a cloud based system.

Time saving: As time can be of the essence in a healthcare service , the interchange of patient information and records is more accurate and time-sensitive. This exchange of information between different levels of care-giving needs to be precise and attended to without too much delay. Critical and relevant information is efficiently passed on from one level to the other via digital technology.

Inaccurate reporting and billing: Being able to combine procedures and services provided to the patient allows for the patient’s bills and patient contact summary to be a mirror-image of the patients’ stay at the hospital. The registration process is necessary as the creation of the record becomes the base for the patients’ journey from referral or registration through to discharge. This accurate representation of the patients’ journey is key to the reporting wholistically of the hospital’s operations.

Referral errors: Using digital technology can assure clarity and readability of the transcription notes avoiding any errors for the reader.

Stay tuned to know more about the next step of the RADT system – Admissions, in our next blog.

If you want to know how RioMed Ltd. can help you with your RADT Procedure, contact us or visit our web-site.