Risk Management

Telephone Screening

April 8, 2024

Dear OMIC Insureds:

You rely on your staff to screen countless calls from patients each day. Having your employees ask patients the correct questions when they call to report a problem or seek advice will ensure calls are being handled appropriately. The materials in OMIC’s Telephone Screening Toolkit should be used as a guide to develop and implement a screening protocol for your practice. OMIC suggests the following recommendations to promote both the continuity and defensibility of telephone care:

1. Exercise the same care when treating a patient over the telephone as you would during an office visit.
2. Gather the information necessary to assess the situation and determine the treatment plan.
3. Communicate the assessment and plan to the patient.
4. Document the encounter and your decision-making process in the medical record.
5. Develop written protocols for telephone screening and treatment that are specific to your patient population, subspecialty, and staff.
6. Supervise staff members who screen calls. In addition to developing and approving written protocols, the supervision should include:
   1. Training and verification of competency.
   2. Answering questions from staff members unsure of how to handle specific calls.
   3. Regular review of how calls are handled and documented (e.g., patient complaint, type of appointment, staff advice, etc.), and
   4. periodic review of the screening protocols themselves.

If you have questions, contact us for confidential risk management advice at riskmanagement@omic.com or call us at 1-800-562-6642 and enter 4 for Risk Management.

Sincerely,

Amy Braswell
OMIC Risk Management Specialist