Majority of practices use patient wait lists, but plenty don't and that could jeopardize patient safety, MGMA says
Major wait times are becoming the norm across the U.S., especially in primary care but also for specialists, MGMA expert says.
According to an MGMA STAT poll, a majority of healthcare organizations are utilizing patient wait lists to fill open appointments. And that's good because patient wait times can impact patient safety and satisfaction.
The poll was conducted on June 19, with 1,347 total responses. It asked healthcare leaders if their organization uses a patient wait list to fill next-available appointments as they open up. Overall, 61 percent responded that their organizations did use a patient wait list, 7 percent were considering it, and 29 percent did not. The remaining 3 percent weren't sure.
Many of those who said their organizations used a wait list said it was actually part of their EHR. Others said they used a paper wait list. For the 29 percent who said they did not utilize a patient wait list, many respondents said they offer same-day appointments or are able to see patients within two-to-three days.
Pamela Ballou-Nelson, a principal consultant for MGMA, said major wait times are becoming the norm across the U.S., especially in primary care but also for specialists, and affect patients with private and public insurance such as Medicare and Medicaid.
While there are no standard wait time benchmarks in the private sector, Ballou-Nelson said they are significant because long wait times can impact patient safety. A patient's condition could get worse over the wait period and the efficacy of treatment could diminish as well. Waiting for needed treatment can be stressful for patients and can also adversely affect the patient's family too. It could even impact the patient's employment.
Patients should be prioritized clinically and a standard format including patient concerns and conditions should be part of that clinical prioritization, Ballou-Nelson said. Patients should also be made aware of warning signs that might indicate an emergent situation and the need for same-day care.
She also said patients with a similar priority level should be seen in order of who has waited the longest and the practice should make patients aware of how to contact them. It should also let them know to reach out if their condition or availability for treatment changes.
"Patients should be kept up to date on their expected waiting time. Giving them updates about when they might expect to be seen eases anxiety and allows them to anticipate being available at a certain time. If your practice has alternative availability, such as other offices or new providers, offering these alternatives will go a long way in improving patient satisfaction and patient safety," Ballou-Nelson said.
As consumerism continues to sweep the healthcare industry and patients demand more quality and convenience for their healthcare dollars, seemingly small operational perks like using patient wait lists to expedite the filling in of appointments can go a long way to attracting and keeping patients. A practice that utilizes an organized and reliable means of filling coveted appointment slots might appear to be more in-the-know and consumer-friendly than one that does not. That could mean the difference between gaining new patients and keeping current ones versus losing them to practices that can see them faster.
Twitter: @BethJSanborn
Email the writer: beth.sanborn@himssmedia.com
