How to Improve Patient Flow

Improving patient flow requires the cooperation of staff, medical personnel and patients. Improvement begins with recognition of the causes of patient flow problems and a willingness to make appropriate changes. Follow a process to accomplish better patient flow. Identify the issues or problems, explore the advantages and disadvantages of alternative solutions, obtain agreement for changes, initiate the changes according to a planned time line, and evaluate the resulting patient flow.

Instructions

• 1

  Identify the areas that cause inefficient use of everyone's time and the facility. Single physician or dentist offices usually present different issues than large clinics. Collect information from patients and their accompanying friends and family; staff who greet patients first; aides, who may weigh them, record their temperatures and review their histories; and medical personnel involved in their examination and treatment. Also include information provided by pharmacy staff.

  Explore reasons why patients may skip or forget appointments, arrive late and complain about a long wait to be examined and treated. Look at issues related to registration areas, waiting rooms, examination rooms and comfort areas, such as food service locations and toilets. Collect data on the time patients arrive in relation to their scheduled appointments, the time from arrival until preliminary staff work is started and completed, and the time until they get medical or dental attention.

• 2

  Examine the advantages and disadvantages of alternative solutions One physician may have fewer patients than another on a certain day, but cannot take over any patients to improve the flow because patients usually want to be seen by their regular physician. Some solutions are inappropriate because of their disadvantages.

  Mothers who bring their children after school need their pediatrician to be available in the late afternoon. If the only bus from a nearby senior center arrives once a day at a given time, making appointments at that time for people who live elsewhere is likely to create flow problems.

• 3

  Get as many patients as feasible and persons providing services to agree on specific changes. This step is crucial to improved patient flow. Change is difficult for some people who have followed an accepted procedure for an extended period. Explain to anyone reluctant to change how improving patient flow helps the patients, the organization and them. Improved patient flow is sometimes disrupted more by inaction than inappropriate actions.

• 4

  Initiate the planned changes according to a thoroughly considered time line. Some changes need immediate implementation and others are better if delayed to allow time for equipment installation and personnel training. Informing patients about the changed procedures is an ongoing task because some only have contact after long time periods and others need frequent reminders.

• 5

  Evaluate the resulting patient flow after reasonable time periods have elapsed. You do not want to continue with changes that do not work. You may also find some personnel who need feedback about their actions to improve their performance. You can improve patient flow and create greater efficiency with attention to details and regular assessments.