Innovation And Best Practices In Health Care Scheduling

Patient waits have been a long-standing concern in health care. Waits occur throughout the continuum of care and are built into and budgeted for within day-to-day operations. The status quo is changing, however, as patient experience becomes linked to provider payment, efficiency and service become differentiators between hospitals and providers, and patient expectations evolve. While excellent clinical care remains the expectation, health care consumers are now seeking health care and supporting systems that are respectful of individuals. This discussion paper, describes the important forces shaping wait times throughout health care, the evolving use of techniques and tools from other industries to improve health care access, and the move toward a person-centered model of care. Through personal experiences leading respective health care organizations, have tackled these complex issues, and presents in this paper the lessons learned along the way. Notably, acknowledging that improving access and scheduling requires systems-level transformation and that such transformation can uncover previously unrecognized resources and improve all aspects of care delivery.