Improving Patient Access
- January 10, 2019
In all healthcare entities—whether private practice, employed physician networks (EPNs), or academic medical centers—patient needs outpace provider supply at almost every turn. Based on that premise, the question becomes: With limited resources, how do you meet patient demand for access?
Most people think that patient access problems can be remedied through examination of a few areas of practice. However, an effective solution only can come from a multilevel and comprehensive review of every area to discover how all the “systems” mesh or where they fracture. Without a full-scale assessment of the practice operations, the discovery process is impeded, and the possibility for remedies are thwarted. From a recount of a recent assignment by an academic medical center, calling for the use of a limited platform for assessment, this paper will communicate the optimal results that can come from extensive review as well as the consequences of restricting the charge to the evaluator. In these parameters, we were tasked with pushing the boulder uphill.
