Page 8
Duke Hospital, InterGom
TjkU Tjkat
Teuii.; and Lee White, Woodland,
C., are in the post baccalaureate
15 months certificate course in phys
ical therapy.
We are glad to see a former P. T.
graduate, Barbara Day, Class of ’59,
back at Duke completing the Master’s
program in Anatomy for which she
earned 15 semester hours of credit
while she was enrolled in the physical
therapy program. Jim Chan, former
staff member, is doing graduate work
towards a Ph.D. in Anatomy.
During the summer we have had
several changes in our staff. Jean
Patton, Julie Smith, Khoda Moyer,
and Wilma Abrams have resigned, as
have Sara Porter and Kay Armstrong,
secretaries.
We are pleased to welcome many
new-comers to our department. Last
June Agnes Ormsby and Linda Lonh
replaced our departing secretaries. In
September Dorte Gadewoltz from Ber
lin, Germany, arrived as a foreign
trainee. Joining the staff' also are
Durell Whiting, a graduate of the
University of Connecticut, Judith
Cantey from Duke and Columbia
University; Mrs. Margaret Killian
and Mrs. Nancy Davison from the Uni
versity of North Carolina. Later Mrs.
Davison will serve with Mrs. Nancy
Ijaszlo as a trainee in the Extension
Services in physical therapy.
One of our former P. T. graduates
and recently a graduate student at
Duke in Anatomy, Martha Trotter, is
now serving as Coordinator of Educa
tion for the Physical Tlierapy Course,
both certificate and graduate pro
grams.
ON THE GO
Nell O’Briant, SPDC, has just
returned from a wonderful and ex
citing holiday tour Around-tiie-World
which was sponsored by the Board of
Trustees of The National Secretaries
Home Trust Funds.
PROGRESS NOTES
Hospital Business Office
The new method for filing healtli
insurance claims was begun xVugust 8
with the prinuiry objective of having
a sj'stem to provide clerical pei-somiel
with specific authenticated data for
prompt claim procedures. The use
of a carbon-interleaved form as a
part of the patient’s record provides
a medium for the attending physician
to furnish insurance personnel with
the admitting diagnosis for imme
diate notice to the insurer and the
final impression, together with a brief
case history, for prompt claim com
pletion. A copy remains as a perma
nent part of tlie record. The addition
of one further statement on the form
concerning the estimated length of the
patient’s disability for use in comple
tion of income protection claims, is an
ticipated. For further supportive
claim evidence, insurance personnel
receive the record of treatment and
applicable charges collected by PDC
and Hospital insurance department
personnel as the patient’s stay pro
gresses.
The flow of the accurate, concise
medical information from the pro
fessional staff" and the treatment and
charge record from the reporters is
resulting in desired goals. Prompt
notice to and response from the in
surer are improving discharge pro
cedures and relieving the patient of
financial anxiety, since confirmations
are transpo.sed to antiei])ated dollar
amounts toward hospital and doctors’
charges. Claim preparation is now
being carried out immediately follow
ing discharge by insurance personnel
wlio assemble and record data on claim
forms. Simultaneous settlement of
the hospital and professional claim
results.
In order that all claims ])resented
since August 8 iiuiy have equitable at
tention, letters have been sent to the
doctors for reports not received on
their patients at the time of discharge.
Also, the backlog of claims handled by
the former out-dated method is near
completion.
Physical Therapy
Construction has started in our
courtyard and gym. Hence, the P. T.
department is relocated in its tem
porary quarters. Rooms M-llO and
M-llL
Pathology
The student labs have been re
modelled and were ready for occu
pancy September 10. New furniture
should come in to\vard the end of
October.
Duke Hospital
Durham, N. C.