The Delta County Emergency Department is instituting additional procedural changes to enhance patient safety and efficiencies within the department, according to Chief Clinical Officer, Jody Roeber, RN, MSN, who supervises this hospital department.
New procedures now being implemented include:
1) The Delta Health Emergency Department patients will now have their photos taken during the admission process in order to protect patient identification and for patient safety reasons. In accordance with federal patient privacy regulations (HIPPA) and to protect Patient Health Information (PHI) these photos will be scanned and placed in the patient case file for the Emergency Department.
2) A medication bar coding scanning system is also being implemented to increase levels of patient safety.
Co-Pays will now need to be paid by Emergency Department patients following a medical screening exam during the admissions process. Co-pays, typically required as part of commercial insurance carriers (such as Blue Cross Blue Shield), will be paid by ED patients by cash. A second option will be to pay by credit card through the hospital website on-line bill pay process. Emergency Department patients who are self pay patients will be required to pay $100 flat co-pay amount during the admissions process by cash. A second option to pay by credit card using the hospital website on-line bill pay feature will also be offered. This $100.00 co-pay does not constitute full payment for services rendered; it is only good faith payment towards the balance of the invoice which will be determined following treatment. Receipts for co-pays will be provided to the ED patient and a copy will be kept in the ED patient file.
Routine Emergency Department procedures will continue to be followed:
- A copy of the patient’s legal identification will be scanned every time a patient presents in the ED
- A copy of the patient’s insurance card will be scanned each time a patient presents in the ED
- Each patient must provide a valid phone number and will be requested to provide a valid email address in order that Delta Health ED may contact the patient for feedback on the quality of their medical care and to provide discharge instructions via email
- If a patient who is a minor presents and is not accompanied by a parent or legal guardian, or ward of the state, then a parent, legal guardian or state ward will need to be contacted by phone to obtain verbal permission to treat the minor.
- Each ED patient will receive an identification bracelet as part of the admissions process
These additional procedures for our Emergency Department will enhance the patient safety and efficiency of how Delta Health operates the Emergency Department, said Roeber.
