OP Processes:
Appointment
The Hospital offers sophisticated appointment processes to honour planned consultations as well as walk-in and emergency patients. A patient can book an appointment for free, through the mobile app, on the website, on phone or in person. All appointment slots for the consultants are available on the website or through the hospital call center.
An appointment for the next visit can be fixed by the patient in consultation with the doctor directly or through the reception. Similarly, a next visit appointment post discharge is also generated automatically as a part of the discharge process.
A doctor has a minimum of ten minute appointment slot for new consultations with additional slots made available for complicated consultations. A follow up consultation may take lesser time as deemed necessary by the doctor.
A patient is expected to report atleast ten minutes before the appointment time. Any delay beyond the five minute of the appointment shall lead to the patient appointment be moved into the walk-in category.
The patient queue is visible in each OPD for each doctor. Every hour the last ten minutes are allocated for walk-in patients or delayed appointments only. However, the doctor may exercise her prerogative to shuffle the patient queue or schedule planned consultations as needed to manage timeline.
Registration
A patient may register with the hospital herself without visiting the hospital, through the mobile app or on the website. There are no registration, documentation or filing charges with the hospital. All hospital services are delivered only after registration.
The Patient may make a Quick Register with the hospital with basic demographics, generate his unique MRN and later fill the additional details on hospital arrival.
The hospital allows the Patient and his immediate family to register together in the hospital to allow consolidated patient records, shared payments and single internet signon.
OP Consultation
A patient may consult any doctor empanelled with the hospital during the consultation hours, preferably through an appointment. The Consultation charges vary depending on the consultant, emergency nature and on the economic condition of the patient.
All consultations allow for up to two free consultations within seven days from the date of the first paid consultation, either done on phone or through video or in person in the hospital.
Pharmacy Purchase
The Hospital does not take responsibilities for medicines brought from outside. For all patients the medicines are supplied through the Central Pharmacy. All doctor prescriptions are integrated with the Pharmacy ERP such as to allow the pharmacy to be prepared with the medicines before the patient arrives.
The patient can walk directly to the pharmacy while the prescription reaches electronically. The Pharmacist keeps the envelope ready while the patient can make the payment in cash, card or through the Bristlecone Health card.
The patient gets an alert in the mobile app if the medicine purchased is deemed to be exhausted. The patient can choose to repeat the prescription through the mobile app, whereupon the medicines can be home delivered for no extra charge for a 20 km radius.
Second Opinion
The hospital offers consultations with a relevant doctor of the choice either through video consultation, email, telephone or through the hospital telemedicine infrastructure. The hospital consultants can be requested to suggest their international counterparts to discuss the patient case in further detail.
A dedicated medical counsellor and inter-disciplinary team is available to facilitate the cross-consultations/ second opinions with a suitable doctor of choice.
Health Check Services
The hospital has a proactive vision towards healthcare thus following the concept ‘Prevention is better than cure’.An ailment which goes un attended leads to a bigger ailment.Today’s life style includes- Stress, irregular eating habits,lack of exercise, disturbed sleep and toxic pollution.This is a multifactorial condition requiring a mandatory /statutory health check.
- “In the time you sip your juice we finish your health check-up.”
- Bristlecone hospitals introduces its 15 minute health check-up.
An appointment schedule is prepared and is captured on the hospital information system.Further a brief call is made to the patient explaining about the requirement of a 12 hour fasting, wearing loose clothes, carrying all the medicines(if any) along and also to carry the previous medical reports.
A pre-existing questionnaire is given to a patient who is not sure of the type of health check to be done.This filled questionnaire is seen by the General Physician and his/her advice is taken pertaining to what health check-up must be done.The patient is immediately guided to the phlebotomy for sample collection.Post sample collection patient will be guided to the radiology department to complete investigations.he patient is then made to have his breakfast which is present in our health checks refreshment area.A complete series of investigations are done and the patient is guided on the arrival of his/her reports.
GRE will collate all the reports and keep it ready for the physician consultation.Once consultation is done and if any further suggestions by the physician,guide the patient on the same.Collect the feedback before patient leaves from the hospital.
Enquiries
The hospital enquiry desk is staffed with guest relation specialists located in the lobby at the main entrance of the hospital. The information desk staff is present here at all times to assist you in finding your way around the hospital and to locate patients for family and relatives/friends.The desk offers a variety of services to make your stay or visit more pleasant at the hospital.
The enquiry desk also assists you in delivering books, magazines,hospital brochures and educative material to the patients and attenders. The enquiry desk could also be of help to the patient in educating him/her regarding the various hospital procedures as these staff are well versed with all aspects in relation to the hospital.
As the “FACE” of the hospital the enquiry desk staff are well versed with the infrastructure /services of the hospital . Patient queries are resolved here, also if a patient would want to visit our centres of excellence the staff would accompany the patient with the same.
OP Investigations
The outpatient investigations are unique in allowing an exclusive patient service by following a strict patient centered protocol. After completing the consultation the doctor orders for a particular investigation / set of investigations for patients.Patient will be guided to GRE.GRE will counsel the patient and complete the billing formalities .During this procedure the GRE would accompany the patient, further for the respective procedure the concerned department team/nurse would assist the patient. Once the tests are done the GRE would counsel the patient regarding the availability of the reports and the turnaround time(TAT).After the reports are ready an auto generated text would be sent to the patient’s registered mobile number .
An external patient who walks in to avail op investigations, GRE will complete the billing formalities and would counsel the patient regarding the availability of the reports and the turnaround time(TAT). After the reports are ready an auto generated text would be sent to the patient’s registered mobile number .
With the user id and password provided at the time of registration , patient can login to our website /mobile app to view or download his/her reports.The patient may collect the hardcopies based on his/her convenience.Consultants can view the same reports online in EMR and suggest the patient accordingly.
IP Investigations
Once the admission is done the concerned DMO/Nurse will speak to the admitting consultant. As suggested by him/her they post the order in the system. In the cases of laboratory investigation,sample would be collected in the patient’s room and sent to the laboratory for its study.
For the radiology and cardiology investigations nurse will take the appointment from the respective department and confirm the appointment before shifting the patient.Preparation for the investigation will be taken care by concerned nurse. During all times of patient transfer the nurse will accompany the patient.
Bedside procedures are performed in case of sick patient.All the patients in Critical care ICU’s are performed with bedside procedures.Incase patient from critical care area has to be transferred for investigation,DMO will accompany the patient till the procedure is completed and transferred back in the patient room.
Lab Sample Collection
The hospital has a state of the art lab sample collection services department.The laboratory endeavours to provide the highest level of quality and patient centricity.This service provides home collection of samples,in addition to this it also plays an important role in controlling hospital acquired infections.
It is requested from the patients to book their appointments well in advance to avail these services.Some sailent features of this department include friendly , helpful and well trained front office staff and phlebotomists, separate phlebotomy room, bar coded sample collection facility, urgent reporting for clinical investigations on request.
The department of clinical biochemistry at Bristlecone hospitals is internationally renowned and highly specialised in the measurement of circulating biomarkers.The department is dynamic, innovative and dedicated to excellence within the fields of Clinical Biochemistry, Haematology and Coagulation disorders.Focussed on providing laboratory tests to benefit patient care, we perform analysis requested both from general practioners and hospital based doctors.We support patient near analysis (POCT)
Performed both at the hospital and by general practioners.In addition we run clinics for patients with thromobosis, haemophilia and a number of specialised tests on national and international requests.Tests include blood glucose, electrolytes, enzymes ,hormones lipids (fats) , metabolic substances and proteins.These tests are performed using fully automatic and sophisticated equipment able to handle high volume and make results available within a very short turnaround time.
OP Radiology Investigations
At Bristlecone hospitals we have an ultra-modern and utmost sophisticated system for Radiology and Imaging services.This department is manned by an expert team of Doctors,nurses and technicians who strive to deliver quality care to bring out an optimized outcome.We differentiate from our market competitors by reducing the time lag, reducing the radiation exposure to the patient and the radiology personnel, enhancing minute detail picture quality and achieving world class results resulting in serving supreme health care delivery.
Bristlecone Hospital offer the following radiology services
Mobile X-Rays Machines
This at Bristlecone we address as a “ radiology room on wheels”.The advantage of this is that when a patient from his/her bed cannot be moved to the radiology department the mobile x ray technology could be used to fulfil the radiological needs pertaining to the patient.
ULTRASOUND
Diagnostic ultrasound , also called sonography or diagnostic medical sonography, is an imaging method that uses high-frequency sound waves to produce images of structures within your body. The images can provide valuable information for diagnosing and treating a variety of diseases and conditions.
Admission Booking
Once consultation is done and advised for admission,GRE will do the financial counselling and help the patient in admission booking .Patient/Attender can walk-in or call to book the admission. The details of the time , date of admission and deposit for the confirmation of booking will be taken care by GRE.
In case of insurance, GRE will collect the patient’s relevantdocuments and will forwarded for pre-authorization.Status of the pre-authorization will be informed to the patient.In case of PSU’s act accordingly (Estimation, credit letters etc.)
The GRE will make a reminder call to the patient 24 hrs prior for confirming the admission, if the patient confirms the admission then the GRE will inform the admission desk and follow-up with the team for bed making and room preparation.If there are any changes in the plan GRE will make the necessary arrangements
Admission
Once patient is advised for admission GRE will do the financial counselling/ Insurance Counselling. Once the counselling is done the personnel at the admission desk will do the admission. Post Admission, GRE will take the initial deposit and further guide him /her to the room.All credit patients (Corporate, TPA, PSU’Setc.) shall require a credit letter (in case of planned admission).
Planned admission – A planned admission is an inpatient admission of a patient pre-planned in advance of the patient’s presentation for inpatient care. All required admission paperwork (including the Authorization letter of the TPA) shall be submitted prior to the date upon which the patient is to be admitted. The admission documents shall be printed and the patient shall be escorted to the appropriate inpatient area. The Admitting Desk shall complete necessary admission processes and the patient shall be escorted to the assigned bed.
Admissions from the emergency room – Emergency room patients requiring inpatient admission and shall have the request for admission form and other required information forwarded to the Admitting Desk. The Admitting Desk shall complete the admission process and the patient shall be transported from the emergency room to the assigned bed. Patients not registered earlier shall be registered and a UHID shall be generated.
Surgery Planning
Once patient is advised for surgery, GRE will do the financial counselling to the patient ,attenders for surgery and document the date and time of surgery. GRE will book the O.T for the proposed surgery and the patient would be sent for Pre-Anaesthesia check-up(PAC).
Once consultant advices surgery to a patient the patient meets the GRE following which the executive will do the financial counselling.As suggested by the consultant minor/major surgical panel will be performed .
After obtaining the reports the GRE will guide the patient for PAC .The anaesthetist will analyse the case sheet and gives the fitness .In case any further study required he will advice accordingly.Patient will meet anaesthetic again with the reports for fitness.Admission will be done and patient will be guided to the allocated room.Nurse/Dmo would do the preparation.Patient would be shifted to the OPERATION theatre (OT)as per the schedule.
Check list before shifting patient to Pre-operative Ward:
- Should check for compliance of
- Pre-operative check list
- Identification of correct patient
- Surgery consent is obtained
- Anaesthesia consent
- Surgical safety check list
- All relevant investigation reports / films are made available
- If there are any changes in the plan of surgery Consultant and GRE will inform to patients /attenders.
- For Corporate, TPA, PSU’S etc patients have tosubmit their Approval/credit letter before surgery date.
Dietary Counselling
BCH Provides dietary counselling to patients/attenders, Dietary Counselling is a dietary therapy, focused on looking at how food and lifestyle changes can be used to improve health in general. One of the key focuses with Dietary Counselling is making a step by step approach, so that changes are achievable in the long term. Dietary counselling can help putting a healthy diet in place, for an individual and/or a family, losing weight, or simply feeling better by eating better.
Our dietary counsellor will advise patients in formulating healthy eating programmes for weight loss and to improve their general health and wellbeing. The goal of the counsellor is to offer the patients strategies for personal change and to work towards a sustainable healthier future using dietary analysis software, body composition analysis and health coaching.
Our dietary counsellor will focus on putting together a healthy eating programme that will ensure their patient is eating for optimal health and to minimise the impact of genetic and environmental influences e.g. stress, pollution and lifestyle. When preparing a diet plan for patients/attenders the dietician must take into account the food preferences, cooking skills, available time and exercise preferences of the individual.
Discharge Processes – Cash
Once discharge is advised by the consultant, GRE/ nurse will start discharge process(Mark discharge advise,Pharmacy returns,cross check the orders of investigations performed).The case sheet is forwarded to the concerned DMO for writing discharge summary. Manual handwritten Discharge summary is sent to typing pool.
After taking clearance from pharmacy & diagnostic departments,case sheet is sent for billing.GRE receives final bill from billing department and will approach patients room to clear the bill. After the final bill is cleared the receipt and checkout slip are generated. A checkout slip is issued as a proof of clearance for discharge.
Explain the medications & handover the patient’s file containing reports, to patient’s attendant. Ensure that the patient vacates the room, Collect the checkout slip, visitors pass and provide transport facility if required.Book the followup appointment and inform the date and time to the patient.
Discharge Processes – Insurance
Once discharge is advised by the consultant, GRE/ nurse will start discharge process(Mark discharge advise, Pharmacyreturns, cross check the orders of investigations performed).The case sheet is forwarded to the concerned DMO for writing discharge summary. Manual handwritten Discharge summary is sent to typing pool.
After taking clearance from pharmacy & diagnostic departments,case sheet is sent for billing.Final bill will beprepared as per requirements of insurance and finalbill & discharge summary will be forwarded to TPA for final approval.
Based on the insurance/tpa approval the final bill is settled.The co-payments and the short calls would be settled accordingly.
Discharge Processes – ARY
In Aarogyasri Scheme the Hospital will obtain online preauthorization for beneficiary by uploading all the required documents such as white card / health card, medical reports and films, clinical photographs as required. The request will be scrutinized by doctors and specialists from Insurance and ARY trust post which final approval is obtained . The entire premium is paid by the Government on behalf of the patients.
Hospital will provide discharge summary,Required medications and also pay transport charges to patients. Follow up appointment is made and inform to thee patient the date and time.
Estimation
Once patient is advised for admission,concerned GRE will do the financial counselling and give estimation for the proposed treatment which has no hidden charges. After Patient’s admission is done, the concerned GREwill visit patient’s room every day. If there are any changes in the plan of care or any deviation from treatment plan, we will bring it to the patient /Attendant’s notice and will document the same.If there is any change in the final bill within the package we promise that we won’t charge the patient.
For the Insurance patients we will send the estimate along with the pre-authorisation and other required documents to concerned insurance team.We will keep updating the patient/Attendant if there are any changes in treatment plan or in estimation.PSU’(Govt sectors)will be provided with a estimation summary for which they need to get approval from their concerned unit.
Estimations at Bristlecone Hospitals have no hidden charges.We have designed the estimations to make patients financially comfortable.We are even providing EMI facility to the patients to reduce the financial burden on them. We share our care with the community as a family thus reaching our goal to reach the threshold of quality healthcare service guarantee.
Continuous Billing
The sales, services and consumables pertaining to every patient in the hospital are updated by a nurse on the EMR( Electronic Medical record) which is connected to the various service areas of the hospital.Once the services are utilized the charges would be posted in the patient’s bills and this is instantaneously updated in the hospital’s billing syste.
If there exists any deviation in the plan of care/ course of treatment the patient/attenders would be counselled regarding the same by the consultant , the GRE would explain the financial aspects to the patient and the patients family.
The continuous billing process at the hospital with the usage of Electronic Medical Record enables cutting down the discharge time to a large extent expressing patient convenience and satisfaction.We strive to achieve a discharge time not exceeding 30 minutes.
Insurance Billing
From the time patient is advised for the admission till discharge we are there to support you.Once the patient is advised for admission our GRE will collect the necessary documents from the patient and forward it for pre-authorization approval. Simultaneously the patient will be admitted and plan of care will be continued accordingly.The status of the preauthorization of the patient’s documents from the respective insurance company would be communicated to the patient/attendant .Post this the admission formalities would be completed.
The next step arises at the time of discharge.The final bill copy including the treatment details and the reports would be sent to the respective insurance company for the final approval.In response to this the insurance company would authorize the same and the discharge summary along with the copies of the reports are handed over to the patients.
In cases of emergency the DMO would complete the initial assessment of the patient and the GRE would aid in the admission of the patient.Following this, the GRE would collect the insurance documents from the patient and submit the same to the respective insurance company/Tpa within 24 hrs. The status would be updated to the patient/attendant by the GRE.However in cases where the approval is not accepted from the insurance/tpa company the GRE would counsel the patient regarding the same and explain him/her regarding the reimbursement facility available at Bristlecone Hospital.At the time of discharge proper documents including the bills,copies of the reports/tests and claims form would be handed over to the patient for reimbursement.
Package Billing
At Bristlecone hospitals we have designed kinds of health care packages pertaining to the various health care needs of the patient. Once the doctor advices a particular procedure , the GRE will counsel the patient regarding the packages available. Once the package has been chosen by the patient the hospital would not have any added/hidden costs unless there is any deviation in the plan of care.
If there exits any deviation in the plan of care, your consultant and GRE will counsel the patient/attendants regarding the same before proceeding for further treatment. In case of non-package cases a tentative estimate would be given.
A complete updated list consisting of the price of all the treatment packages could be obtained on the VHC web portal/mobile app, which could be accessed 24*7. Thus educating the patient prior to the hospital visit ensuring a fair, accurate and transparent billing.
Refunds
For an investigation/procedure advised by the consultant,the GRE will complete the billing formalities following which the patient would be guided to the concerned department.However the services which are not availed by the patient due to any reason after the payment is done, we have a standard policy for refund.
Refunds may be offered in OPD and IPD.
Cash paid on the same day would be refunded by cash, card refund is done through void on the same day later day
Cash payment would be refunded .If the doctor recommends a patient for refund the patient has to sign and return the original bill copy. Suppose the Patient has paid the bill by cash it would be refunded on the same day or if paid by card the same day can be void. The later day’s refund amount would be paid by cheque.
Incase of cancellation/refund given to the patient the original bills have to be collected from the patient with their signatures.
Alerts and Reminders
Our automatic alerts and reminder system service is one of the convenient ways to reduce medical no shows, planning hospital’s activities in addition to nurturing hospital patient relationship.This bridges the gap between patients and their health care providers using information and telecommunication technologies especially mobile technologies to improve healthcare delivery.
Mobility solutions alerts are targeted towards appointment reminders, wellness messages for a safe pregnancy, delivery and child immunization.Some of the features of our alerts and reminders include appointment schedulers with sms reminder ability,automatic update of test results, immunization reminders automatically alert patients and physicians of all appointments according to the hospital’s schedule,health and wellness messages would be sent along with reminders.
Physiotherapy
The Department of Physiotherapy is managed by highly dedicated and well-trained team of therapists. Department provides post discharge homecare.
Medical Record Management
We have a highly secure and efficiently manned medical record system.From the time the patient enters the hospital till the time he/she leaves the hospital all their information is recorded.This includes all the necessary documents based on the case including consents and case summaries etc.A thorough check list is gone through and updated along with counter signatures for verification and future use of the information.The medical records team updates the data post verification.
All the patient information is uploaded on the EMR (Electronic Medical Record).This EMR is password protected and only the treating doctor would have an access of the same.The patient would be given a user id and Password to access his/her personal medical information.Thus, maintaining complete patient confidentiality.
hospital services.
Copyright © All rights reserved to Bristlecone Hospitals