Physicians rely on data and facts to determine the course of clinical decisions regarding their patients. Dr. Schwieterman, in this recent article, brings up the question of why we haven’t been using this method to solve clinical patient flow challenges.
The continual issues of patient wait times and patient bottlenecks are seen in almost every practice at one point or another. The challenge is getting the “buy in” of the physicians. They are scientists that require strong data in order to implement change. Providing data with exact wait times in the waiting room, exam rooms, time spent with the providers and overall door to door times are sufficient data to acquire the physician’s investment in the patient flow process.
Allowing the doctors to diagnose their own issues creates the much needed results of improving patient satisfaction and a better workflow process in the office.