How to Use LAN4000 Patient Sequencing.
You will need patient sequencing if you are working in a busy optometry practice using 3 or more exam rooms.
Problems:
1. You have no idea how many patients are waiting on you or how backed up you are while you are in a closed door exam.
2. You have no way of paging your techs or optical back to your exam rooms.
3. You walk around looking for help and asking staff which room you need to go to next
4. Your staff walks around looking for an empty exam room.
5. You shout down the halls to get staffs attention.
Solution: Use the Patient Sequencing feature on the LAN4000.
Scenario:
The following screen shots depict a 5 exam room office with 2 doctors who share all 5 rooms. (either doctor can be in any one of the 5 rooms). First we must label the buttons and create 2 separate sequences, one for each doctor.
In the setup screen below everything related to Dr H is yellow. The button on the top row labeled Dr H is used to notify the doctor that he/she has patients up front waiting. The row of yellow exams will indicate where the doctor is and where he/she needs to go when done with a room (Note: I have selected sequence 1 and assigned the 5 yellow exam room buttons to sequence 1. This is indicated by them being lit and displaying a 1). The yellow buttons in the third row allow the doctor to know if he/she has a phone call, if a patient is being worked up in Pre-test or Special Test for them and to page a tech or optician to an exam room.
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The next screen shot shows that we have selected sequence 2 and assigned the 5 blue exam room buttons to sequence 2. (We have duplicated the button labeling from the two yellow rows on the two blue rows for Dr S to monitor his patient flow.)
Now that we have the buttons labeled and 2 sequences set up let’s solve the problems.
PLEASE NOTE: When using patient sequencing the first button that is lit in a sequence will be flashing. ( We can’t show that in a static photo.) Subsequent buttons pressed in a sequence will light solid.
In this example we will pretend that Ex 3 yellow is flashing and Ex 1 Blue is flashing. The flashing Exam rooms buttons indicate that the doctor is in that room with a patient.
1. Dr H is in Ex 3 (Ex 3 is flashing). Dr H can glance at this panel and see that he/she has a patient waiting in ex 5 and also patients waiting up front (Dr H button lit on top row.). With at least 2 patients waiting up front he/she knows that there are at least 3 patients waiting. Dr S is in Ex 1 (Ex 1 is flashing). Dr S can glance at the panel and see that he/she has patients waiting in Ex 2 and Ex 4 and also has a patient being worked up in Pre-Test (PT), and has at least 2 patients waiting up front. He/she is slammed!
2. Dr S has paged an optician to Ex 1 (remember Ex 1 is flashing indicating that Dr S is in that room) Note: either doctor can page for a tech or optician by lighting their buttons
3. No need to look for staff, simply press the appropriate button to page who is needed. When the doctor is finished in a room they will turn off the flashing light and which ever exam room is next to be seen will start to flash. (This is what sequencing does. It keeps track of which room to go to next.) Off the doctor goes to that room, and the staff knows where the doctor is)
4. The staff sees EX 1 go off ( not flashing or on solid) and they know that Ex 1 is available for a patient to be seated. No more walking around peaking into rooms.
5. No need to shout, or walk around looking for people. Just look at the panel and monitor your patient flow.
Using Patient Sequencing for a busy optometry practice, the LAN4000 will help improve your patient flow, increase productivity, reduce stress and increase profits for your practice. If you have any questions, please post them here or call us at 800-426-5271 to discuss a the best labeling scheme for your practice.