Patient access in plastic surgery: an operational and financial analysis of service-based interventions to improve ambulatory throughput in an academic surgery practice

Annals of Plastic Surgery
Charles Scott HultmanSamuel Weir

Abstract

Inefficient patient throughput in a surgery practice can result in extended new patient backlogs, excessively long cycle times in the outpatient clinics, poor patient satisfaction, decreased physician productivity, and loss of potential revenue. This project assesses the efficacy of multiple throughput interventions in an academic, plastic surgery practice at a public university. We implemented a Patient Access and Efficiency (PAcE) initiative, funded and sponsored by our health care system, to improve patient throughput in the outpatient surgery clinic. Interventions included: (1) creation of a multidisciplinary team, led by a project redesign manager, that met weekly; (2) definition of goals, metrics, and target outcomes; 3) revision of clinic templates to reflect actual demand; 4) working down patient backlog through group visits; 5) booking new patients across entire practice; 6) assigning a physician's assistant to the preoperative clinic; and 7) designating a central scheduler to coordinate flow of information. Main outcome measures included: patient satisfaction using Press-Ganey surveys; complaints reported to patient relations; time to third available appointment; size of patient backlog; monthly clinic volumes with ut...Continue Reading

References

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Citations

Mar 30, 2020·The Surgeon : Journal of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons of Edinburgh and Ireland·Matthew J DavisEdward P Buchanan
Feb 11, 2021·Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery·Amjed Abu-GhnameLarry H Hollier
Apr 24, 2021·Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery·Nargiz SeyidovaSamuel J Lin

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