Anticoagulation Clinic
The Anticoagulation Clinic is for patients who take blood-thinning medicines, such as Coumadin or warfarin, and have routine INR (international normalized ratio) checks.
An INR test is used to monitor the safety and effectiveness of blood-thinning medicines, which are also known as anticoagulants, by measuring the time it takes for blood to clot.
Anticoagulation Clinic patient visits are short, one-on-one appointments with a nurse to check INR and manage Coumadin (warfarin) dosing. The Anticoagulation Clinic staff works closely with ACHS primary care providers to manage patients’ INR checks and medication.
Goal
To help patients maintain a therapeutic INR through regular and convenient monitoring of INR – with a finger poke instead of a lab draw to reduce the venipuncture. One reason patients appreciate the finger poke method is because the results appear within seconds.
Interventions/Services
- Finger poke, which is a quick and easy way to check INR.
- Lab draws are sometimes needed to verify INR level if it is out of range in the finger poke.
- Personalized patient education is provided verbally and reinforced with printed materials.
- Nurse education for nutrition, alcohol intake, medication interactions, medication dose and environmental factors that can affect therapeutic INR levels.
- Print out including weekly dosing and next appointment time are given to the patient.
Staff
The registered nurse who manages the Anticoagulation Clinic is also certified in anticoagulation therapy management.
Appointments
Phone: 641-743-7263
Hours: Tuesdays, 8:00am – 4:00pm
Primary care provider referral is required.