How to Implement and Support a Virtual Front Desk

More than a year since the outbreak of COVID-19, virtual walk-up windows for patient and family record requests have become the new normal. Fifty percent of traditional health information management (HIM) departments’ traditional walk-up windows remain closed. As HIM departments transition to virtual release of information (ROI) processes, new best practices have emerged. Yet the complexities and priorities of ROI remain the same: staff efficiency, workflow optimization, process control, accuracy, timeliness, and patient satisfaction. This article, told from the perspective of an ROI vendor, provides guidance to implement and support a virtual front desk in HIM.