Urgent Care Video Visit Procedures and logistical protocols/sequence of events:

1. Urgent care request for video visit is received via email. CM’s at all firms utilizing our telemed service should be provided in advance with blank lien forms to be signed by patients prior to the UC request. The initial email making the UC request should include signed copy(ies) of the lien paperwork, along with all relevant demographics and patient contact info. Having this information at the initial contact will allow our CM’s to enter the patient in Ambula immediately, and begin the process of connecting the patient with an appropriate specialist.
2. If there are existing records such as imaging reports or physician notes available at the time of the initial request for UC, those documents also should be loaded into Ambula at the time the patient’s record is created. If there are no reports because we are to be the first medical contact for the patient, the attorney’s office will say that explicitly at the time of the consultation request. For example, “The client has not yet had any medical evaluation for this injury”, or something to that effect, would be a very helpful piece of information.
3. The CMG intake CM will give the atty CM a time range during which to tell the patient to await a call, email, or text. The Atty cm will make it clear to the patient that every effort will be made by us to get back to the patient within that time frame to confirm the time of the appointment.
4. The UC intake CM will then email Drs. Scott and Rispoli and begin checking the day’s schedule for an orthopedic or PMR physician able to accommodate a vidieo visit that day. If there is no availability that day, the CM will contact Dr. Fithian to see if he can help find a physician to see the patient after hours. If we still are unable to find an opening on the day of the referral, then we will look at the following day for scheduling the interview.
5. The CMG CM then contacts the patient by all means available (Text, email, phone), within the time frame agreed upon with the atty CM. The text and verbal communication should use some version of the template below. All efforts to contact the patient should be communicated to the attorney’s CM requesting the video visit. The CMG intake CM will copy the CM at the attorney’s office on all written attempts to contact the patient. This is a crucial step in maintaining direct communications with the firm requesting the consultation, and in order to coordinate efforts on both sides to get the patient seen expeditiously.
6. Once the patient and physician are linked, the visit will be scheduled in Ambula. Ambula then automatically sends an email to patient, as well as the attorney’s CM who requested the appointment. The CMG CM working with that physician in clinic must also be notified, and a coordinated transition to the clinic’s CM must occur. The CM working with the doctor will then assume all responsibility for follow up communication with the referring firm, and entering bills and records into Ambula.

Spanish Speaking UC patients – Approximately 50% of patients for whom UC is requested are Spanish speaking only (SSO). This is partly due to difficulties with transportation and lack of health care access. Be that as it may, the protocols for caring for these patients will be the same as for patients seen in clinic, which means that an interpreter will be required if the physician does not speak fluent Spanish and the patient has no one who can assist with interpreting/translation.