Saving patient contacts is essential for providing comprehensive, coordinated, and patient-centered care.
It supports communication, continuity of care, emergency response, patient engagement, and various other aspects of healthcare delivery, ultimately contributing to better patient outcomes and experiences. You can indicate important patient contacts such as emergency contacts or billing person in the Patient Contacts.
Here you can find a list of contact persons, including:
Billing Contact Person: This individual manages financial matters related to the patient's medical care. They deal with billing inquiries, insurance claims, and payment coordination.
Contact Person: This designation refers to someone who can be contacted regarding the patient's appointments, medical information, or other healthcare-related issues. It's usually a point of communication between the healthcare facility and the patient's family or caregivers.
Person Preparing Referral: In cases where a patient needs to see a specialist or requires additional medical services, this person assists in organizing and preparing the necessary referrals and documentation for the patient's smooth transition to specialized care.
Employer: If the patient is employed, the employer may be involved in discussions concerning the patient's health, especially if it affects their work or requires accommodations.
Emergency Contact: This individual is the go-to person in medical emergencies when the patient may not be able to communicate. They provide essential information and can make critical decisions on behalf of the patient.
Federal Agency: In certain cases, interactions with government agencies at the federal level may be necessary due to the patient's health condition. This contact assists in dealing with such matters.
Next-of-Kin: Typically, this is a close family member who holds legal and healthcare decision-making authority if the patient becomes unable to make decisions for themselves.
State Agency: Similar to federal agencies, state agencies may be involved in specific healthcare-related situations. This contact person manages interactions with these agencies.
Unknown: When the identity or role of a person is unclear or unspecified, it's marked as "unknown." Further investigation is needed to determine their significance in the patient's healthcare.
To specify additional patient contacts for the patient:
1. Open Patient Chart
2. Find Patient Contacts
3. Click +Add Contact
4. Specify the required information
5. Click Save
Saved contacts will appear in the list with a small overview and status:
Note: By default first added contact will be marked as Primary. The rest will be marked as Additional.
You can also edit it and change the status of the patient contact:
1. Open the contact by clicking on it's ID number
2. Click Edit to update the existing information
3. Or Press More Actions to Deactivate the contact
The status of the contact in such case will be changed to Inactive:
The changes can be rolled back again from the More Actions button:
Note: The primary contact can be deactivated only if it is the only specified additional contact for the person. If you have several and want to deactivate the one which is currently Primary you should Mark as Primary a different contact from the list.