Cut wait times for scheduled patients
Sheri Lasater, manager of patient access for Penrose-St. Francis Health Services in Colorado Springs, says that wait times have been minimized for scheduled patients through a comprehensive pre-registration program.
All patients who are scheduled for service are contacted via telephone prior to their service so they can be pre-registered. Since all registration information is collected by phone, the patient will not require any meeting time with the patient access department on the day of service.
"Most pre-registered patients are able to go straight to the department where they are receiving services. They are allowed to bypass the patient access department completely," says Lasater.
Some departments are able to accept pre-registered patients directly into their department without any intervention from patient access on the day of service. In this case, pre-calls are made to the patients the day before, to explain the check-in process for the day of service.
"Orienting the patient to where they will be going, prior to service, helps to avoid unnecessary delays," says Lasater.
The percentage of patients who are pre-registered varies from facility to facility within the hospital system. This is because not all procedures require pre-scheduling.
"We often see patients without an appointment for X-rays, lab work, and EKGs," says Lasater. "There are also patients who are sent over to the hospital from their physician's office for stat testing. This has not typically been pre-scheduled."
One facility has particularly high volumes of walk-in outpatients, who require time with a patient access representative immediately before their service. "A paging system was implemented. This is very similar to those you might see in restaurants that have wait times," says Lasater.
When a patient arrives and needs registration services, he or she is advised of the expected wait time and given a paging device. The patient is directed to multiple locations where he or she can wait for the pager to be activated, such as waiting rooms, the coffee bar, and the hospital cafeteria.
"Although wait times are never ideal, the expectations are established for the patient through the communication when they are provided with their pager," says Lasater. "This helps the patient to accept the delay, and view it as less of a negative."
Sheri Lasater, manager of patient access for Penrose-St. Francis Health Services in Colorado Springs, says that wait times have been minimized for scheduled patients through a comprehensive pre-registration program.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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