A tremendous amount of time (some studies estimate more than a half-hour) is wasted for patients who wait in the waiting room as well as the exam room for providers to see them. This dynamic is called a “push” because it refers to medical practices pushing a service to the patient according to the practice’s schedule.
In comparison, a “pull” dynamic applies to medical practices that produce a service to fit the needs of the patient through a process with no excess waste. In other words, a smooth and an efficient patient flow process.
The most effective way to improve overall patient satisfaction is to decrease the wait times of the patient and turn “push” days into “pull” days. Do you know how long your patients are waiting in your practice? See more on Lean’s Push/Pull concept.