CH-F changes outpatient treatment scheduling
In an effort to continue to provide
the best quality care, Community Hospital-Fairfax is making changes to the outpatient
department. Effective January 1, 2010, patients who receive orders from their doctor
for reoccurring outpatient treatment will now be seen by appointment in the Outpatient
Clinic. Currently, patients receiving outpatient treatments are seen through the
Emergency Department. The Outpatient Clinic staff believes this will alleviate patients
waiting for appointments in the emergency waiting room.
Nurse Manager Jackie Martin, RN
explained that the staff saw a need for a more coordinated scheduling system.
“Patients with non-emergent needs,
like reoccurring treatment, used to wait for the Emergency Department staff to be
available, which is hard because emergency needs are unpredictable,” Martin said.
Martin says that to make the transition
easier, she has been introducing herself to those receiving outpatient treatments
through the Emergency Department. This way, she says, patients will know a familiar
face when they begin working with the Outpatient Clinic in January.
“Our goal is to make this transition
as easy as possible for everyone,” she said.
Any treatments that
are ordered before January 1, 2010 will still be seen in the Emergency Department
as usual. After the first of the year, the nursing staff will work with patients
to ensure a treatment schedule that works best for them. If you have questions about
this change, please call the Outpatient Clinic or Emergency Department at (660)
686-2211 and someone will answer your questions.