Using checklists can reduce errors, improve service, increase productivity, and increase reimbursements.
How many times have you billed for a patient encounter and had it down-coded by the payer because your records document that you did A, B, and C, and if you want full reimbursement you needed to document A, B, C, and D. If you worked from a checklist that you set up to cover that kind of encounter, then you would not only save time documenting the encounter, but you would have documentation that would support maximum reimbursement and the checklist just might help jog your memory and prevent you from making an error.
A checklist developed by a physician from Johns Hopkins was used to reduce catheter-related infections in the ICU in a study conducted in Michigan hospitals.
How will you use checklists to improve your practice?
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Wonderful. I did a checklist for one of my business practices, and it was surprisingly LONG… there were more steps than I figured before.
Wise advice.
Smaller, non-critical tasks are generally a waste when it comes to checklists, but two areas I’ve found are crucial: those tasks with a sizable number of steps, and those tasks that are infrequently performed (and as such, the steps to complete the tasks less committed to memory).
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