When scheduling a patient for their first visit to your practice, you should advise them of what they need to bring to help ensure a smooth registration process and to assist your physician in making that first visit as thorough as possible.
Follow this check list as a guide:
Picture identification and current insurance card(s)
Once provided with this information, you need to verify insurance coverage and benefits. This is the optimum time to collect copayments from the patient.
Contact information for emergency contact and/or healthcare surrogate
Make sure the patient indicates the name(s) of any authorized persons on your HIPAA notification form.
Contact information for all current healthcare providers
Please have the patient add to the HIPAA form, the names of any physicians they would like your physician to communicate with or share their medical records.
Copies of any applicable medical records and recent diagnostic testing results
If you are handed records that are the patient’s only copy, make your own copy and return the “originals” to the patient. They may need them for another provider. X-rays or radiology “films” stored on computer discs, should be logged in the patient’s record if they are left behind after the visit.
Complete list of current medications, both prescription and over the counter.
Adding the pharmacy name and phone/fax number into the patient chart facilitates issuing any required prescriptions.
