The Importance of Medical Protocols
Peter A Weinstein , DVM , MBA
7
“ If you ’ re not consistent , you ’ re nonexistent ” - Unknown
That quote alone could be sufficient to explain the importance of medical protocols . If not , let ’ s look at what they are , why they are important , where you would use them in practice , and how to create them .
WHAT ARE MEDICAL PROTOCOLS ?
If you cook a meal from scratch you use a recipe . When you build a practice you use blueprints . Before you take off on an airplane , pilots go through a checklist . A medical protocol is a recipe , blueprint and checklist designed to provide a consistent approach to diagnosing , treating , communicating and invoicing for a medical condition or medical service that you provide . The goal of a protocol is consistency in patient / client and practice management .
You could have protocols for puppy and kitten visits ; surgical procedures such as spaying or neutering ; limping dogs ; vomiting cats ; different levels of dental care ; etc . A protocol is NOT designed to remove the brain from the doctor , quite the contrary , it is there to guide the doctor and staff so as not to forget things that should be done for the pet . Ever forget to charge for a stone analysis and culture after a cystotomy ? You wouldn ’ t if you had a protocol . Ever forget to send home antibiotics with an itchy dog with pyoderma ? You wouldn ’ t if you had a protocol . Ever forget to run a fecal on a four-month-old puppy ? You wouldn ’ t if you had a protocol .
A protocol is a road map to get you from here to there in an effective and efficient fashion by providing the optimal route and with all of the details about the route along the way . It allows for shortcuts if needed and encourages alterna- routes only when required .
So , look at protocols as a chocolate cake recipe that you can use to make the ultimate chocolate cake but with the option , if needed , to add nuts , whipped cream or dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate ultimately giving you a chocolate cake with a slightly different taste .
WHY ARE PROTOCOLS SO IMPORTANT ?
There a many reasons why a pet , the client , staff , the doctors , and the practice will benefit including :
• More consistent and reliable care pro vided by all doctors and staff
• Less confusion between doctors and the doctors and staff on case manage ment
• Optimal communication without for getting things
• More accurate charging for services provided
In a single doctor practice , protocols act as a guideline for clinical care . In a busy practice , it has been shown that , on busy days , services and compliance suffer as doctors and staff rush to get patients into and out of rooms and out of the clinic . Medications forget to be prescribed . Ear smears are skipped . Rechecks aren ’ t scheduled . Etc .
Protocols provide a checklist to be used by both the doctor and staff to ensure optimal care for case management . With a checklist for an ear infection , the ear smear is a line item . With a checklist for an ear infection , there is a line item for TOPICAL MEDICA- TION based upon cytology results and a different line item for ORAL ANTIBIOTICS , if