Question

The question came from a book called Computers in the Medical Office (9th Edition)

illustrates the medical documentation and billing cycle. Some of the steps in the cycle, such as Step 2, Establish Financial Responsibility, focus more on billing activities. Explain how Step 4 includes a focus on both billing and clinical functions.

Answer 1

Computers are the most essential requirements in any sort of commercial establishment today, having taken even the place of stationery to the top spot in primary requirements.

When Computers in Medical Office is being discussed, we will agree that all bills generated in hospitals, nursing homes or even clinics are hard copies of e-bills or in some advanced cases, the entire concept of a physical bill has been done away with and instead the e-bill is mailed to the patient's email id. Many doctors even send prescriptions online.

All test reports are directly sent to the doctor's computer so as to ensure convenience and speed at the same time.

For clinical functions, computers are used to store databases of patients in a particular date, the number of visitors coming to a particular admitted patient, the number of units of medicines arrived, consumed and thus the inventory as well. Attendances of clinic staff are also updated via computers.

All this has made computers an essential and inseparable part of commercial healthcare.