Our path secretary handles all of the consult sendouts.  We never receive a
written request either and I suspect that it would do us no good to request
one.  The secretary maintains a log of what was sent, where it was sent,
when, and who requested that it be sent.  When they are returned, she then
goes to her log and enters the date returned.

It has never been an issue here..... maybe no one thought of it..... maybe
no one cares.......
I'll be watching the replies.

Tom Mc Nemar
Pathology Supervisor
Licking Memorial Hospital
Newark, Ohio

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	hkcormier [SMTP:hkcorm@banet.net]
> Sent:	Monday, July 10, 2000 7:14 PM
> To:	histonet@pathology.swmed.edu
> Subject:	consult charges, documentation
> 
> Hello All,
> I have an interesting question for you all, our corporate compliance
> program is currently looking at path consult charges...how does everyone
> (anyone) document physician requests for consults. By this I mean the
> patient's doctor calls the office and requests that the case be sent out
> to another pathologist, not the "house" pathologist sending our for a
> second opinion. Our issue is that we are a fairly small hospital  with
> only 2 pathologist, our pathologists will routinely send out cases for a
> second opinion, on say bone marrows to the regions top bone marrow guy.
> The local visiting oncologist and ocasionally a local surgeon - primary
> care physician will request that a case be sent out, some where else.
> The issue is, is that it is usually a phone call from the doctor or
> doctor's staff and we never receive any written order or request. This
> our course would slow us all down and wreck havoc with our customer
> service policy. Our corporate people feel that without documentation
> from somewhere, this may be construed as fraud.  Any ideas? Any one ever
> deal with this before? Any suggestions? Thanks!  Kathy
>