Process Model

Patient swim lane: Our process is in swim lane format which is a graphical arrangement in which all of the activities for a given role are shown in a single lane (Kroenke, 2015, p.28). The process is begun with a patient calling to make an appointment with the office. Appointments are only scheduled when patients call to make appointments, while on the phone to make the appointment they are given dates and times that the office is available, and they choose the one that fits their schedule best. Once you arrive at the office, you must check in, typically at a kiosk. The kiosk will scan fingerprints or do a retina scan to identify you as a person. Then you can continue on with any paperwork that needs filled out, which is typically done on the kiosk as well, it asks things such as medical history, current address for billing etc. After filling out all necessary things the individual meets with a doctor. They express any concerns they may have and are seen for whatever the appointment was scheduled to be about. All of these (except start of course) are activities. Activities are specific tasks that need to be accomplished as part of the process (Kroenke, 2015, p. 29). After expressing their concerns, a decision must be made about whether an individual needs medication or not. The doctor will make this judgement on their own, typically on their own. If chose no, then they should go home and follow doctors directions, but if symptoms proceed or get worse, then they should restart this whole entire process. If medication is prescribed, they should pick it up at their designated pharmacy, and complete any follow up appointments, or questions they may have. This is shown in the process model through a decision diamond. After that, it leads to the end of the process

Doctor swim lane: This process is also in a swim lane format. Makes appointment times that works for both the doctor and a majority of patient schedules. Look over paper work to ensure everything is filled out, and double check any patient allergies to ensure patient safety. Next the doctor will see the patient and diagnose the problem that the patient has. The decision for the doctor is whether or not the patient has an illness that can be treated with medication or one that does not need an illness. If no, the patient is given instructions of things such as rest, and over-the-counter medications. If yes, the patient is given a script, usually done electronically, or by calling pharmacy. After that the doctor can request a follow up appointment and answer any questions if needed by the patient. As stated above if the patient has concerns about symptoms worsening, then they should repeat the above process, and doctors will repeat process. If symptoms are cleared, then they should not have to repeat this process for this patient.

Process quality is also something that should be evaluated. Upon hearing how this process worked we asked about how efficient and effective the process actually is. Technology is a huge factor in this business. It can be sometimes difficult to get the technology to work without crashes, and sometimes the elderly struggle to use the computerized system, which then pulls another worker out of their job to either check them in manually or help them operate the computer system. It is typically seen as the most efficient way to complete this process. It seems to be mostly effective as well, especially when all things are working as they should. It is seen as efficient because its benefits outweigh its costs. It is seen as effective because for the most part it is working as deemed, and everyone is not scrambling around to help someone check in (Kroneke, 2015, p. 31).

References

Kroenke, D. M. (2015). MIS essentials. New York, NY: Pearson Education.