Scenario: Dr. Jonas, a family practitioner, has leased office space in a onestory building in a small shopping mall. There is a handicap access ramp that is acoessible to her office. However, after a particularly bad rainstorm, the area around the handicap access is flooded (about 8 inches) and it appears that the concrete underneath the flooded area has broken up. The rain has stopped. One of Dr. Jonas's patients is wheelchair bound and calls the office from the parking lot to tell them that she cannot access the building. Dr. Jonas asks her medical assistant to go outside to see what can be done to help the patient. The medical assistant asks the patient if it is okay to try to get her through the broken concrete area and up the ramp. The patient agrees. The medical assistant is successful in getting the patient through the broken concrete area; however, the wheelchair footrest breaks off as the MA is wheeling the patient up the undamaged ramp. The patient is not harmed. The patient is seen by Dr. Jonas and leaves the office without assistance even though it was offered by the medical assistant. However, the patient later contacts Dr. Jonas asking her to replace the wheelchair as it was the medical assistant's "fault" that the wheelchair no longer worked at all.
Answer the following question:
What should be documented in the patient's record at the time of the visit? Should the later contacts be documented?
Scenario: Dr. Jonas,a family practitioner, has leased office space in a one story building in a small shopping mall.There is a handicap access ramp that is acuessible to her office. However, after a particularly bad rainstorm, the area around the handicap access is flooded (about 8 inches) and it appears that the concrete underneath the flooded area has broken up The rain has stopped.One of Dr.Jonas's patients is wheelchair bound and
calls the office from the parking lot to tell them that she cannot access the building.Dr.Jonas asks her medical assistant to go outside to see what can be done to help the patient.The medical assistant asks the
patient if it is okay to try to get her through the broken concrete area and
up the ramp.The patient agrees.The medical assistant is successful in getting the patient through the broken concrete area;however,the wheelchair footrest breaks off as the MA is wheeling the patient up the undamaged ramp.The patient is not harmed.The patient is seen by Dr Jonas and leaves the office without assistance even though it was offered by the medical assistant.However,the patient later contacts Dr. Jonas asking her to replace the wheelchair as it was the medical assistant's "fault"that the wheelchair no longer worked at all.
Answer the following question:
What should be documented in the patient's record at the time of the visit? Should the later contacts be documented?
