Internal Control Anlaysis
...of the appointment and patient information is produced as a hard copy and sent to insurance verification. Insurance verification (check out desk) receives the appointment information and reviews the insurance data to make sure that the doctor, who the appointment is scheduled with, is in the insurance network of the patient’s insurance policy. This is to protect the patient from incurring more medical expenses. From this point, the check out clerk contacts the insurance company and verifies eligibility and benefits for the upcoming appointment. The information received is input into the computer for future reference. A hard copy of the insurance verification is printed and attached with the appointment information and given to the front desk. The front desk receives the information from the check out desk and files it temporarily until the date of the patient’s appointment. When the patient arrives, the patient completes a medical history and demographic information. The front desk inputs the patient information into the computer and creates a visit record, referred to as the fee ticket. The fee ticket is attached to the front of the patient’s permanent record, which consists of the appointment information, insurance verification, and additional medical records that the patient brought to the appointment. The patient chart and fee ticket are now ready to be transferred to the nursing staff. The nursing staff takes the patient chart with the fee ticket and calls the patient back into an examining room. Once in the examining room, the nursing staff interviews the patient and takes a complete history of the current problems resulting in the day’s appointment. In addition to the history, current vital signs are also documented in the patient’s chart. The physician enters the examining room after the nurse leaves and reviews the patient records and any diagnostic studies brought to the appointment. The patient and doctor talk about the symptoms the patient is experiencing and discuss the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment plans available. The physician is available for any questions regarding the patient’s care. Next, the patient chart with the fee ticket is given back to the nursing staff. A review of the information written by the doctor and discussion with the patient is further explained with the patient. The nursing staff schedules further testing or surgery in an accommodating manner for the patient. Patient questions are answered and the patient is ready to leave. The patient receives the fee ticket and proceeds to the check out desk. The chart is then given to medical records for filing. The fee ticket is turned in and the check out clerk collects applicable fees due from the patient according to the insurance information previously checked. Charges and payments received are input into the computer and the computer process runs to update the database. The co...