IR Scheduling STRIC Last Update Jun 13, 2023
This page is intended to help the person(s) tasked with scheduling my patient's procedures at the hospital.
in 2023 that is usually Joe Gonzales in STRIC IR Scheduling, not STRG or Methodist.
If Joe is unavailable or you have been asked to sub for him, please follow these steps.
I have a few websites that are designed to inform and educate about some of the procedures we do. These are often procedures that are non-surgical alternatives to what the surgeons offer. Surgeons often don't tell their patients about our minimally invasive procedures, as they feel threatened by them.
When a patient reaches out to me about a procedure, it is usually through the contact form on one of my sites, or directly by email.
When I reply to them, I cc my primary STRIC Scheduler. In 2023 that is Joe.
If you get one of these emails, I would like you to act on it. Typically, I want you to either email the patient, or call the patient, depending on what the patient prefers. If you look through the email you will find the patient phone number, email, and email vs phone call preference.
Contact them as soon as possible, as they may turn elsewhere for solutions if we delay.
If a patient asks you a clinical question, please refer them to STRIC nursing or me.
When a patient reaches out to me about a procedure, it is usually through the contact form on one of my sites, or directly by email.
When I reply to them, I cc my primary STRIC Scheduler. In 2023 that is Joe.
If you get one of these emails, I would like you to act on it. Typically, I want you to either email the patient, or call the patient, depending on what the patient prefers. If you look through the email you will find the patient phone number, email, and email vs phone call preference.
Contact them as soon as possible, as they may turn elsewhere for solutions if we delay.
If a patient asks you a clinical question, please refer them to STRIC nursing or me.
What procedures are we talkng about?
1) UFE, Uterine Fibroid Embolization, is the most common one.
When a woman asks for an appointment to see me, you schedule her for an appointment with me at MDIC.
It will help you communicate with my patients if you have reviewed my site, www.drjohnthomas.com
Clinic Forms: There are forms she can download from my website; if she fills these out and brings them with her to her appointment, it will save her time in clinic.
Pelvic MRI: I like for my patients to have a pelvic MRI prior to their appointment. That way, I can review her images with her and let her know on the spot if we can do the procedure or if it is not a good idea for her.
If she does not want to have the MRI first, or if her insurance denies it until I see her, that is fine. Give her the appointment but she should know we will need to get the MRI after her appointment if she wants to proceed with UFE.
Please order the MRI for me in STRIC (female pelvis, with and without contrast). If she wants to get the MRI elsewhere, she can, but she must get the report to bring as well as the images on disc for me to see.
Please DO NOT schedule the MRI anytime closer than 4 hours before her appointment with me. STRIC MRIs always runs late, and if she is to get her MRI say 2 hours before her appointment, she might have to reschedule her appointment because the MRI was delayed.
Follow up visit after UFE: Typically, 3 months after her procedure. Again, I like to get the MRI before her appointment, but it is not a must.
As with scheduling the MRI on day of her first clinic appointment; this follow up MRI must be at least 4 hours prior to her appointment.
When a woman asks for an appointment to see me, you schedule her for an appointment with me at MDIC.
It will help you communicate with my patients if you have reviewed my site, www.drjohnthomas.com
Clinic Forms: There are forms she can download from my website; if she fills these out and brings them with her to her appointment, it will save her time in clinic.
Pelvic MRI: I like for my patients to have a pelvic MRI prior to their appointment. That way, I can review her images with her and let her know on the spot if we can do the procedure or if it is not a good idea for her.
If she does not want to have the MRI first, or if her insurance denies it until I see her, that is fine. Give her the appointment but she should know we will need to get the MRI after her appointment if she wants to proceed with UFE.
Please order the MRI for me in STRIC (female pelvis, with and without contrast). If she wants to get the MRI elsewhere, she can, but she must get the report to bring as well as the images on disc for me to see.
Please DO NOT schedule the MRI anytime closer than 4 hours before her appointment with me. STRIC MRIs always runs late, and if she is to get her MRI say 2 hours before her appointment, she might have to reschedule her appointment because the MRI was delayed.
Follow up visit after UFE: Typically, 3 months after her procedure. Again, I like to get the MRI before her appointment, but it is not a must.
As with scheduling the MRI on day of her first clinic appointment; this follow up MRI must be at least 4 hours prior to her appointment.
2) PAE, Prostate Artery Embolization, is the second most common reason patients see me.
When a man asks for an appointment to see me, you schedule him for an appointment with me at MDIC.
It will help you communicate with my patients if you have reviewed my site, ProstateArteryEmbolization.com
Clinic Forms: There are forms he can download from my website; if he fills these out and brings them with him to his appointment, it will save him time in clinic.
Pelvic CTA: I do not order this ahead of time unless patient wants to get it done that day (or sooner). Even if he gets it ahead of time, I will not review the images with him as it is a long tedious process that will not help him to observe. The CTAs are usually very fast, so he can have it up to 2 hours before his appointment time.
When a man asks for an appointment to see me, you schedule him for an appointment with me at MDIC.
It will help you communicate with my patients if you have reviewed my site, ProstateArteryEmbolization.com
Clinic Forms: There are forms he can download from my website; if he fills these out and brings them with him to his appointment, it will save him time in clinic.
Pelvic CTA: I do not order this ahead of time unless patient wants to get it done that day (or sooner). Even if he gets it ahead of time, I will not review the images with him as it is a long tedious process that will not help him to observe. The CTAs are usually very fast, so he can have it up to 2 hours before his appointment time.
I am still working on this page, so stop here
- Keep a calendar that shows my Vacation days, my Post-Call days, and previously scheduled procedures
- Contact patient to find out what day they want their procedure and get some alternative days (if they ask for a day that I am not available ask them for other choices)
- Verify with Dr. Thomas that the time and date are OK. As long as you have checked that I am not on vacation, not post-call, and there are no previously scheduled procedure conflicts with that time it will likely be fine. If you text me, I will answer faster than email.
- Contact scheduling at Methodist Radiology (Regina or one of her scheduling folk) and book the procedure.
- Email me, Kendra, and Dr. Khandheria to notify all of the procedure date and time.
- Tell the patient they are set.
