The Emergency Record

"For the never-before, never-again patient"

You've had this happen: a patient calls or comes into your office with a dental emergency,something that needs immediate attention or even a second opinion. This person may not be your patient; they may even be from out of town. Should you start a brand new chart with many forms and then try to convince this person to come in for continued treatment? That's one possibility, but often you know this may be a one-time visit and the patient may not return. So what do you do? Try The Dental Record Emergency Record, an easy to use form for the single-visit/single-treatment patient. The Emergency Record is a 5-1/2" x 8-1/2" (folded) form that lets you log patient information simply and accurately. The form fits in a standard 6" x 9" card file. With the Emergency Record, you gather all patient information. Best of all, if the patient does decide to come in for a follow-up or regular treatments, the Emergency Record is easily incorporated into your existing record keeping system.

Step 1 - Registration When an emergency patient comes to your office, you need complete and accurate personal information. The Emergency Record provides space for documentation including name, address, and telephone number. There is also room for insurance information.

Step 2 - History A patient history section is indispensable when you need to make decisions regarding treatment. An accurate patient history can protect you and your practice from lawsuits. The Emergency Record contains space where the patient records his/her history. You gather information regarding past treatments, illnesses, current medications, or pertinent medical conditions.

Step 3 - Doctor's Notes Brief but detailed notes describing treatment and progress are as important for single-visit patients as they are for regular patients. The treatment notes section gives you room to detail everything that happens during the course of treatment. There is even an area where you can note anesthetic preference and any medical alert conditions.

Step 4 - Release and Consent With single-visit, single-treament patients, it is important to inform the patient of the treatment plan, the risks involved, the procedure, and alternatives. Often release and consent for something as minor as an extraction, a common "emergency" procedure, is ignored and can lead to a potential legal disaster. When used properly during your dentist-to-patient discussion, the Emergency Record prompts you to gain release and consent and substantially reduces the risks associated with treatment.

"Versatile enough to stand alone or with other records" When a patient has an emergency, the first contact is usually by telephone. With the Emergency Record, you can log information over the phone and immediately create a permanent and easily accessible record for the call. This reduces the need to gather scraps of information or ask the patient twice. At The Dental Record, providing dentists with the most useful and complete record keeping system available is what we do best. Our Emergency Record is no exception. with the Emergency Record, you meet not only the needs of your single-visit patient, but also the needs of your office staff, and help reduce your personal risk. When it comes to providing the best care possible for your patients, improving the efficiency of your office and personal protection from lawsuits, a complete and comprehensive record keeping system is one of the best things you can do for your practice.

The Dental Record, 111 E. Wisconsin Ave., Suite 1300, Milwaukee, WI 53202. Tel: 800-243-4675; Fax: 414-276-2186.