MDNews - Greater Boston

Voting with Their Feet In Vitals' 2014 Physician Wait Time Report, 10 percent of respondents said they would leave their physician and seek care elsewhere if wait times exceeded 30 minutes. "There's a clear tie-over time between what's going on economically and utiliza- tion of healthcare services," says Phil Miller, Vice President of Communications for Texas-based physician search and consulting firm Merritt Hawkins, a company of AMN Healthcare. "We can anticipate that as coverage increases, as it is with the Affordable Care Act, and the economy improves, … the demand for physicians' services and utilization will increase." The Bottom Line Consulting group A lacer recently published a report about a client — identifi ed only as "a major Midwestern hospital" — that was losing $400,000 annually in its outpatient pediatric clinic due to follow-up appointments caused by long wait times. Appointments were running long, patients were running out of time, and frequently they had to return for blood work or other tests. Staffing adjustments and a better understanding of patient surges allowed the clinic to improve the number of on- schedule appointments, increase patient capacity, eliminate many costly follow- up appointments and add $560,000 in annual revenue. Clearly, appointment time manage- ment a f fects practice revenue, but effi ciency is just part of the picture. Asked about the impact of longer in-office wa it times, Laura Pa lmer, FACMPE , Senior Indust r y A na lyst for the Medical Group Management Association, says, "As we get more and more focused on patient quality and the patient experience, we're certainly going to see some impact on patient satisfaction and their perception of offi ces' ability to meet their needs." Widespread irritation, if not exas- p erat ion , reg a rd i ng t i me sp ent i n waiting rooms is evident — and not on ly when t h at t i me i s u nu s u a l ly extended. In a 2013 Software Advice survey of 5,003 patients, 97 percent said they were frustrated by the time they spent waiting to see a physician. Yet 45 percent of respondents had wait times of less than 15 minutes. A Shift in Perception The reception environment and wait- ing room set the tone for patient visits. By focusing on this possibly overlooked ele- ment, practices can preempt a signifi cant source of patient stress and dissatisfaction. "Certain specialties, such as plastic surgery, dermatology, some of the women's health areas and pediatrics, have done a great job customizing their environments to make them a little more friendly and less threatening," Palmer says. "Changing colors, changing lighting, choosing softer lights — some of those things can defuse the anxiety level. The whole point is to try to help make the [patient] experience a more positive one that relieves anxiety, allays fears and keeps communication channels open." For many clients, she recommends customer service training. Simple tech- niques such as making eye contact, accommodating physical limitations in waiting areas and providing frequent follow-ups to keep patients updated can go a long way. "It's all a matter of perception and communication," Palmer says. "Patients are a lot more understanding when they know what's going on. If the exam room is cold, offer a blanket. If they're thirsty, offer a beverage. If the physician is delayed coming into the room, we coach them to apologize." Useful Diversions Offi ces may also consider making wait times more constructive to boost patient satisfaction, using questionnaires or prompt sheets to help make time with the doctor more productive, or providing educational materials. Some practices even bring on specialized waiting room managers to guide patient f low and facilitate education. W hile t hese techniques may not address the physician shortage and potentially increased patient loads that may fuel longer wait times, they do put the focus on the patient experience, a ke y comp onent of t he ch a ng i ng healthcare industry. ■ WAIT-FRIENDLY APPS SNAP PRACTICE The SNAP Practice application from Seamless Medical Systems allows patients to check in, fi ll out forms and access health-related content while waiting. MYCARETEXT MyCareText alerts approved friends and family about a patient's progress by integrating with EHR. Practices can also distribute information such as medication reminders and procedural preparation information using the system. INFOSLATE Using InfoSlate, practices can push custom selected material to tablets used by patients. The material can include entertaining content, surveys and electronic medical forms. EMMA The Emma app from Collaborative Chronic Care Network teaches children with infl ammatory bowel disease about their condition through a series of games focused on quality of life, wellness, patient nutrition and general nutrition. M D N E W S . CO M ■ MD NEWS Greater Boston | 1 1

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