Blood Work

[JMaui]

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What is the standard protocol for a patient that has recently been diagnosed as hypercholesterolemic?

Day 1: (OV) Patient has elevated cholesterol levels. Rx Statin to bring to normal range.

First year, check every 3 month.

Every year thereafter, check every 6 months.

Would you require office visits for every time lab tests are ordered? Or would the patient just get lab work done then would be asked for an office visit if the results were sub par?

 

[Droopy Snoopy]

What is the standard protocol for a patient that has recently been diagnosed as hypercholesterolemic?

Day 1: (OV) Patient has elevated cholesterol levels. Rx Statin to bring to normal range.

First year, check every 3 month.

Every year thereafter, check every 6 months.

Would you require office visits for every time lab tests are ordered? Or would the patient just get lab work done then would be asked for an office visit if the results were sub par?

Typically you'd want to see the patient in close follow-up after initiation of therapy. You're going to be assessing for med side effects and adjusting dosages, but it's also important to impress on the patient through repetition the imporance of lifestyle modifications. I've got no idea on any specific f/u guidelines for OVs but would think that for routine monitoring you'd simply need to see the patient annually for meds refills and reassessment of cardiac risk, or like you said more frequently if there's a lab abnormality or whatever other problem. Of course in the real world docs work for money, so getting an extra 99213 for q6 month f/u instead of q12 mo is what's most often done.

fyi You wouldn't necessarily start a statin just because someone is dx with hypercholesterolemia.