be contacting their doctor , sending items to sign and requesting other things from him / her . We tell the patient that it will likely be several weeks before we have everything in place and get them their shoes . At first this wait was a shock to our customers , but now they accept it as a part of the process .
2 . Next , we had to get very strict on what is acceptable paperwork from a doctor and what will not work . To begin with you need the big three : a prescription , a detailed written order , and chart notes that back it all up . Let ’ s look at each of these pieces of the puzzle .
a . The prescription is the easiest part of the equation . Most people show up in your clinic with a prescription in hand . Occasionally , I have a patient who comes to me before going to the doctor . I let them know the exam I perform and the decisions we make are meaningless until they see the doctor and bring me a RX or have the doctor send it to me . I let them know that last year ’ s will not do and urge them to see their physician soon .
b . The detailed written order is also fairly simple . Many of you use software that will automatically create a DWO . Some of you may send a generic form you keep on hand . I personally use a combination of the two . If the person comes to me before they go to the doctor , I give them a blank copy of the generic form I created to carry to their visit . The advantage here is that the DWO also serves as the RX and saves me and the doctor an extra step . If they come to me after seeing their physician I let the software create one and fax it in .
c . The part most pedorthists struggle with is the doctor ’ s chart notes . You have
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