Best Practice Guidelines: Medical | Dental | Allieds

Responsible Roles

	Management Role: Ensure that all information is checked by Reception. Double-check that all patients have electronic files. Ensure there are knowledgeable personnel available at reception to open files on a daily basis. Decide when electronic record update requests (SyncVites) should be sent to ensure correct and updated patient information.
	Operational Role: Open electronic files of Debtors and Patients, upload all required documents and ensure the correct demographic details of debtors and patients are on the system. Do validations and benefit checks prior to consultations. When dependants pass away, acquire their own medical aids, or duplicate files are mistakenly opened, they must be marked inactive and/or moved to their own electronic files. Ensure all revised documents are electronically updated and available. Ensure all electronic record update request (SyncVite) responses have been accepted or rejected.
	Patients are connected to the Medical Practice via the patient portal app. Patients should complete and upload all the necessary information and documents to activate their patient portal profiles. Patients should update their information in case changes occur and sync to the practice every time the practice is visited.
	Stage 2: Collection stage Information quality Communication to DS Stage 3: Compliance continuity DS Objections & Corrections Review & Update Updated Information Confidentiality measures Stage 4: Post-use stage Destruction of PI Restriction (Archiving)

Purpose of Debtors & Patients

It is essential that the correct information for medical debtors (the persons taking responsibility for the medical accounts, e.g. main members of medical aids or guardians of minors) and their dependents are captured so that claim processing and follow-ups will be successful.

The correct information on patients is also important for clinical purposes. Clinical information is linked to the patient's electronic file. If the patient's information is incorrect, the patient can be treated incorrectly and can result in a law suite against the practice or practitioner. 

Important and updated information can save a life or reduce problems in the practice, for example:

• Next of kin can assist in emergencies;
• Communication from the practice to the patient or debtor;
• Follow-up and reminder appointments can be scheduled;
• Optimised debt collection;
• Necessary for POPIA compliance.

Information needs to be reviewed at least every 6 months. This can be done with the patient portal and electronic record update requests (SyncVites). Debtors/Patients information should always be handled with the utmost confidentiality and ensure the information stays confidential at all reasonable costs.