Accurate utilizes another pro-active quality and cost containment approach in health care, referred to as Real Time Auditing, where an auditor (sometimes referred to as a shadow doctor) is present during the course of treatment.
Real time auditing is usually applicable to monitor high-risk/high-cost/high-utilizing patients, to assure appropriate care in appropriate settings and facilitate necessary referrals to supportive programs.
Real time audits decrease the likelihood of errors and maximize patient satisfaction. They require well trained auditors and are performed by highly experienced staff that includes physicians and nurses. From an error detection perspective they offer significant advantages to other prospective and retrospective medical record reviews.
The advantage of detecting errors before they occur, as opposed to mandatory or voluntary reporting which delays patient and time consequences, is perhaps the greatest strength of real time audits.
