Working with the Patient Flow Module

Using the Patient Flow Window

The OrthoTrac Patient Flow module is an electronic patient monitoring system that enables you to keep track of the patients in your office.

The basic Patient Flow module sequence is as follows:

• You check a patient in for the appointment OR the patient checks in using a computer in the lobby.

• When your staff is ready for the patient, a staff member moves the patient from the Lobby to the In Deck or Operatory.

• When the patient’s treatment is finished, a staff member moves the patient from the Operatory to the Out Deck or Check Out area.

• When the staff member moves a patient to Check Out, the patient is moved to Gone automatically.

To access the Patient Flow module from the main menu, click the Patient Flow button. If you are the first user opening the Patient Flow module for the day, the Preparing to Archive message window is displayed. Click Yes.

The Patient Flow window is displayed.

The row of icons at the top of the window indicates the destinations to which you can move a patient from this workstation. The locations include:

• Lobby

• In Deck

• Operatory

• Out Deck

• Check Out

• Gone

• Cancelled

• Your office practices determine the destinations used in your Patient Flow setup.

The following fields can be displayed:

• Patient Name—Name of the patient

• Location—Patient’s current location in the office

• Here—Number of minutes at the current location

• Appt Type/Procedure Type—Type of appointment or procedure

• Ch—Assigned chair

• Appt Tm—Scheduled appointment time

• Check In—Patient’s check-in time

• Status—Indicates if the patient is early, late, or a no-show

• Total—Total time spent in the office

• Doctor—Name of the doctor

• Assistant—Name of the assistant

If your office has enabled the Warning Information System, the following conditions can exist:

• The Location column flashes if the staff has broken a time constraint.

• The Status column flashes if the patient has broken a time constraint.

An asterisk (*) or a plus sign (+) beside a patient’s name indicates that a comment is attached to the patient’s check-in record.

If you are using the check-in message feature, an @ before the patient name indicates that a check-in message exists for the patient.

The following buttons at the bottom of the window enable you to customize the Patient Flow module display:

• Earlier Appts—If you configured the Patient Flow module to display only patients within a specified time limit—for example, 60 minutes—click Earlier Appts to display all patients who had appointments more than 60 minutes ago.

• Maintenance—Click to display the Patient Flow Setup and Maintenance window, which enables you to change any of the Patient Flow module settings.

• Add Patient—Click to add a patient to the Patient Flow module.

• Close—Click to close the Patient Flow module.

• Later Appts—If you configured the Patient Flow module to display only patients within a specified time limit—for example, 60 minutes—click Later Appts to display all patients who have appointments more than 60 minutes from the current time.

Related Topics

Changing Patient Locations

Checking In Patients with Check-In Messages

Adding Patients in the Patient Flow Module

Using the Light Bar

Skill Sharpeners