What can a care team coordinator do for you?

Bellin Health, a medical system in Wisconsin and Michigan, revamped its office visits by employing care team coordinators. The coordinators are licensed practical nurses and certified medical assistants who take some of the administrative and clinical burdens off physicians before, during, and after exams.

Before: At the beginning of the work day, the coordinators gather the clinical staff to review the day’s schedule and try to anticipate what individual patients will need. When patients arrive and check in, the coordinators do things like perform medication reconciliation and manage refills. They also prep the appropriate electronic health record (EHR) templates.

During: The coordinators accompany physicians during patient visits and act as medical scribes, providing documentation support and recording physician orders. This is considered their most important function, because it allows the physicians to focus solely on the patient and not the EHR.

After: After the physician leaves the room, the coordinators stay with the patient to review the physician’s order, schedule labs or follow-up exams, and summarize the visit. During this time the physician can be reading and approving the coordinator’s documentation, thereby eliminating the need to work on the EHR after hours.

Read the full FPM article: “Using Empowered CMAs and Nursing Staff to Improve Team-based Care.”