TY - JOUR
T1 - A quality improvement intervention to increase access to pediatric subspecialty practice
AU - Heptulla, Rubina A.
AU - Choi, Steven J.
AU - Belamarich, Peter F.
PY - 2013/2
Y1 - 2013/2
N2 - OBJECTIVE: To improve access to new pediatric endocrinology appointments in an urban academic hospital faculty-based practice. METHODS: Three strategies were implemented to increase the number of appointment slots: new patient appointments were protected from conversion to follow-up appointments; all physicians, including senior faculty, were scheduled to see 3 to 4 new patients per session; and sessions devoted exclusively to follow-up appointments were added based on demand. The main outcomes for this quality improvement activity were waiting times for new and follow-up appointments, monthly visit volume, the per-provider visit volume, differences in the proportion of new visits, and clinic arrival rates pre- and postintervention. RESULTS: Thirteen months after the intervention, average wait for a new patient appointment decreased from 11.4 to 1.7 weeks (P , .001) and follow-up appointment wait time decreased from 8.2 to 2.9 weeks (P , .001). Mean monthly total visit volume increased from 284 to 366 patient visits (P , .01) and mean monthly visit volume per provider increased from 36.8 to 41.0 patients (P = .08). New patients were 27% of the visit volume and 35% after the intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Access to our pediatric specialty care clinic was improved without increasing the number of providers by improved scheduling.
AB - OBJECTIVE: To improve access to new pediatric endocrinology appointments in an urban academic hospital faculty-based practice. METHODS: Three strategies were implemented to increase the number of appointment slots: new patient appointments were protected from conversion to follow-up appointments; all physicians, including senior faculty, were scheduled to see 3 to 4 new patients per session; and sessions devoted exclusively to follow-up appointments were added based on demand. The main outcomes for this quality improvement activity were waiting times for new and follow-up appointments, monthly visit volume, the per-provider visit volume, differences in the proportion of new visits, and clinic arrival rates pre- and postintervention. RESULTS: Thirteen months after the intervention, average wait for a new patient appointment decreased from 11.4 to 1.7 weeks (P , .001) and follow-up appointment wait time decreased from 8.2 to 2.9 weeks (P , .001). Mean monthly total visit volume increased from 284 to 366 patient visits (P , .01) and mean monthly visit volume per provider increased from 36.8 to 41.0 patients (P = .08). New patients were 27% of the visit volume and 35% after the intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Access to our pediatric specialty care clinic was improved without increasing the number of providers by improved scheduling.
KW - Health care provider/service
KW - Hospital performance
KW - Office practice
KW - Quality improvement
KW - Workforce
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U2 - 10.1542/peds.2012-1463
DO - 10.1542/peds.2012-1463
M3 - Article
C2 - 23339218
AN - SCOPUS:84873459908
SN - 0031-4005
VL - 131
SP - e585-e590
JO - Pediatrics
JF - Pediatrics
IS - 2
ER -