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small pet peeve - about patient demographics

Posted: Aug 16, 2010

After struggling with names like Siobhan, Ahleksi (concocted to prove a point), and Yvan, I am so happy to have a "normal name" such as what sounds like "John Carter." Whew! Finally! A no-brainer! But I start to look it up-- no such thing in the data base. Well! It just happens to be "John Carter" spelled "Gionn Kharter." This is just a not-real-life illustration. But isn't it irritating when you finally get a regular-sounding name and it's not so regular, and the doc doesn't give you a clue. Clue, doc, please give me a clue! Like "That's Mary spelled with a P" or "Greg spelled with an L." Just to keep me from 5 minutes searching vainly under every "M" or "G" name in the entire hospital database when I'm not even under the right LETTER. Or scrolling through all 840 female 72-year-old patients in hopes of finding a Helen with a last name that might be pronounced Cheepchapchookchop. Ack. Well, back to looking for Miss Boombiosity. Or Poombiosity. Now I hear a V sound. Voombiosity? At least I know the first name is Karen. Or Geren? Kieran?

I so completelyl feel your pain - Happy MT Robin

[ In Reply To ..]
One of my docs, who is such a good dictator in every other way, just starts out "this is an office visit for John McCarthy on August 16, 2009, dictated by Sue Smith." That's all she gives. No date of birth, nothing. At least my other crazy doc who does this gives me a DOB to help narrow things down.

If it's an easy name, great, but I've spent some time trying to figure it out before as well. How hard is it to give a medical record number, really?

Huge pet peeve - I hear ya

[ In Reply To ..]
I, too, feel your pain, but I elevate this pet peeve to "huge" status.

I feel it is abjectly irresponsible for a healthcare professional to fail to ensure the accuracy of the pt record. It is laziness, and represents disrespect for the pt.

These individuals managed to get through advanced education.

They need to pony up and take responsibility for the medical record that THEY are creating, particularly in today's environment of cost containment.

It is beyond my comprehension why administration does not require this of their dictators. It's just plain stupid. Why would any healthcare provider take such a CHANCE with a pt's information?

In my opinion, it's simply reprehensible.

I'm with you, and I get more and more irritated sm - demos

[ In Reply To ..]
because on the account I'm on which is a stickler on the demos which I have no problem with BUT (huge account at KS) we don't get paid for demos at all.

Especially when we don't get paid for it - Old and Tired MT

[ In Reply To ..]
I am finding most of my reports are listed as "unknown person" and of course, the patient is Vietnamese, Chinese, etc., and I don't have a clue how to spell the name to even try to look it up. It aggravates me because I wouldn't mind doing it, but not for free.

Definitely feel your pain too, but of course we get - paid for it. This is the job.

[ In Reply To ..]
Always has been. My peeve is that our name search engine must have the first 2 letters to do a search. If I had those, I could just locate it on the list! Maybe when they roll out the next version...

What I was referring to is - Old and Tired MT

[ In Reply To ..]
The only time I get paid is when I am actually typing or editing in the report. I spend a lot of time trying to find demographic info and it is on MY time and cuts into my production. Of course, it is the job, but since we are required to look everything up and it takes our time when we could be pounding the keys and actually making our paltry pennies, I consider it "free".

This is MANAGEMENT FAILURE - Me

[ In Reply To ..]
SOMEBODY in management should be asking these docs to help us out with this! But, as they say, "Good luck with that!"

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