Failing to Follow Proper Protocols Could Bring Headaches—and Affect Patient Outcomes

Failing to Follow Consultation Protocols Could Bring Headaches—and Affect Patient Outcomes An urgent care provider in Chillicothe, OH has been flagged by the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of the Inspector General allegedly for failing to follow the prescribed consultation process. Per a post by EHR Intelligence, the OIG claims that the provider intended for a patient with a T12 vertebrae compression fracture to receive chiropractic care at the Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) clinic. In fact, though, the provider gave a verbal referral for the patient to receive pain management. Further, the clinician didn’t enter a proper consult for CAM into the system until 8 days after seeing the patient. The delay meant that the chiropractor and clinical massage therapist did not review the consult before seeing the patient. Nor could they link documentation to the consult, ultimately prohibiting them from documenting the care provided into the EHR. “The OIG believes that the patient’s care coordination would have improved for subsequent facility visits if the urgent care provider entered the consult on the day of the visit,” according to the EHR Intelligence piece. It’s unlikely the provider (or any of their colleagues) will make the same mistake again, as the OIG insisted that the Chillicothe VA Medical Center director mandate education on proper procedures for all urgent care providers, chiropractors, and clinical massage therapists.