Policy AD-810 Provider Coverage 2021-07-30

Purpose

This policy ensures continuity of care of patients when providers are absent from the office (e.g. vacations, days off).

Policy

It is the policy of Westside Family Healthcare to provide continuity of patient care at all times by ensuring that providers absences such as vacations and days off do not interfere with adequate provider staffing or the handling of timely responsibilities such as addressing lab results, managing refill requests, completing forms, and addressing messages.

Scope

All Westside providers

Definitions

Desktop coverage – addressing clinical duties such as lab results, messages, and medication refills for a colleague when they are away.

Procedures

Schedule Requests

• 1. Routine requests
     1. All requests for vacation or conference time should be submitted at least 6 weeks before the desired date.
     2. Optimal patient care will always be considered in approval of vacation requests, as there should always be adequate provider coverage available to care for all ages of Westside patients and all visit types (e.g. prenatal).
     3. If multiple providers request the same time off, requests are granted in a first-come, first-served manner.  
  2. Last minute requests
     1. Because of the negative impact on patients and resulting additional work for other staff members, schedule requests submitted less than 6 weeks before the date requested off should be the exception.
     2. Schedule requests submitted less than 6 weeks before the date requested off are considered on an individual basis, with priority given to ensuring adequate patient access and minimizing patient rescheduling.
     3. If the request is approved, the Associate Medical Director – Provider Relations, ensures that appropriate leadership is notified to allow for staff reassignments and rescheduling, as needed.
  3. Provider illness or family emergency
     1. In the event of a provider’s absence due to illness of family emergency, patients are rescheduled per scheduling protocols.  If the patient has a medical problem and needs to be seen that day, triage protocol are followed.
     2. The Associate Medical Director – Provider Relations, ensures that appropriate leadership is notified to allow for staff reassignments and rescheduling, as needed.
  4. Extended absences
     1. Prior to anticipated provider absences (e.g. parental leave), the provider should discuss coverage with the Associate Medical Director – Provider Relations, who can assist in arranging for coverage during their absence.
     2. Multi-week leave requests other than those covered by FMLA (such as vacation, educational experiences, or extended parental leave) are considered on an individual basis.  The Associate Medical Director – Provider Relations, makes approval determinations with the CMO, based on the needs of the organization.

On-Call Coverage

• 1. When a provider requests time off during which they are scheduled for on-call coverage, it is their responsibility to arrange for alternate provider coverage for that night or weekend.
  2. Whenever call schedules are changed, the telephone service should be notified as soon as the coverage is arranged.
     1. The provider notifies the Associate Medical Director – Provider Relations and the Provider Relations Manager.  The Provider Relations Manager makes the appropriate change to the internally-published call schedule and to the on-call service website (which serves as notification to the on-call service).

References

None