Open AccessThe Effects of Session Standardization and Template Optimization on Improving Access to High-Demand Pediatric Subspecialty Care
Author(s) -
Angela S. Volk,
Larry H. Hollier,
Grace N. Karon,
David Bank
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
the journal of ambulatory care management/journal of ambulatory care management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.639
H-Index - 39
eISSN - 1550-3267
pISSN - 0148-9917
DOI - 10.1097/jac.0000000000000312
Subject(s) - subspecialty , session (web analytics) , standardization , medicine , specialty , outpatient clinic , ambulatory care , health care , medical emergency , family medicine , business , computer science , economics , economic growth , operating system , advertising
A major focus of US health care systems is ensuring timely patient access to subspecialty care. This article describes the experiences of a large children's hospital after implementation of clinic session standardization and template optimization. Outpatient specialty clinic sessions were standardized to 4-hour periods, and all unfilled complex appointment slots were made available for any appointment type within 72 hours of the clinic date. Three high-demand outpatient clinical services achieved increased aggregate potential and completed outpatient appointments over a 2-year period. These improvements were mostly due to an increase in providers and were not always coupled to shorter patient lag times.