Unit Policy
Title
Department of Orthopaedics: Policy on Phone Coverage and Messaging
Introduction
Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to define the requirements for Phone Coverage and Messaging.
Scope
This policy applies to all Admin Support Associates and Executive Assistants in the Department of Orthopaedics.
Policy
Policy Statement
The administrative staff must cover the department central phone line, Ortho RN line, and all faculty phone lines during regular office hours. If an administrative staff member is absent, the department will defer to the Phone Coverage Schedule to ensure all phone lines are covered.
Staff must forward all messages sent to Clinical Staff within 60 minutes of receipt using the Epic messaging system.
Phone Coverage Schedule
The Admin Support Supervisor maintains the Phone Coverage Schedule and ensures that there is coverage for all phone lines during regular office hours.
The Admin Supervisor will maintain the Phone Coverage Schedule on the Department SharePoint site, and the Admin Support Supervisor will notify the Admin Associates of any changes in the coverage plan.
If an employee is going on a planned absence, he/she should communicate with the Admin Support Supervisor 24 hours before the planned absence to initiate the phone coverage schedule.
If an employee is on an unplanned absence, the Admin Supervisor will initiate the Phone Coverage Schedule
Messaging Forwarding
Admin Assistants often receive patient calls for matters that must be addressed by the provider’s clinical support. The ASA must provide enough information in the forwarded message to enable the nurse to triage the call in a timely and efficient manner. Under no circumstances should an admin simply forward a message to the clinical support, the admin must ascertain the nature of the call and the details (even if that means calling the patient back). Messages should contain the following information:
| Call Type |
Message Type |
Message Content |
| Post-Operative Complications |
Phone Clinical POD - Urgent |
MRN
Date of Surgery
Surgery Type
Patient Complication / Complaint
|
| Medication Request |
Epic Message |
Pharmacy Information
Name / Address / Phone Number
Medication Request
|
| Home Health Verbal Order |
Epic Message |
Agency / Medical Professional Name
Phone Number
Details of the Verbal Order Required
|
| Surgical Scheduling |
Epic Message |
Always forward questions about surgical scheduling to the provider.
Include MRN, Patient Name, Patient Contact Information
|
Additionally, each ASA is responsible for covering the OrthoRN line once a week. The Admin Supervisor maintains the schedule on the Phone Coverage Schedule, along with backup coverage. Messages in the OrthoRN mailbox should be checked and sent to the clinical staff on an hourly basis via Epic message or phone call, depending on the type of message per above chart. The ASA must send messages involving appointments to the Appointment Center via Epic staff message or email to the orthoschedulers@unchealth.unc.edu mailbox. The ASA must clear out the OrthoRN line mailbox when the last ASA leaves the office at the end of each day.
Contact Information
Primary Contact
Name: James O. Sanders, MD - Chair of Orthopaedic Surgery
Telephone: 919-966-9072
Email: james_sanders@med.unc.edu
Other Contacts
Name: Paul Marini, MHA, FACHE - Associate Chair of Administration
Telephone: 919-843-9382
Email: Paul_Marini@med.unc.edu