Pre-visit planning is a process that can streamline the doctor-patient encounter, and it’s essential to examine its impact on efficiency and productivity. According to the report, measurement tools can help convince medical practices to implement pre-visit planning programs, leading to positive changes in operational efficiency.
Measuring Efficiency
One way to measure the impact of pre-visit planning is by tracking the volume of patient telephone or email contacts regarding lab or imaging study results. This can be done by having staff members complete a tracking log at three different times: before implementing pre-visit lab requirements, 12 weeks after implementation, and 24 weeks after implementation.
The log should record each attempt to reach the patient, including calls, messages, and emails. By tracking these interactions, practices can measure changes in the number of contacts before and after implementing pre-visit planning.
Analyzing Results
To determine the average number of calls and messages received and returned, practices can populate a chart with individual clinician data. The numerator is the total number of contacts, and the denominator is the total number of clinicians who submitted data.
Related: User blocked from platform after policy violation
Graphing the average weekly number of calls and messages can help practices visualize the impact of pre-visit planning. Sharing this graph with staff can emphasize the benefits of pre-visit planning, such as improved doctor-patient relationships and streamlined visits.
Many practices that have implemented pre-visit planning report improvements in access to care, patient satisfaction, and staff satisfaction. Pre-visit planning can also give physicians more time to focus on what matters most to patients.
Implementing pre-visit planning can have a significant impact on the overall efficiency of a medical practice. By streamlining patient visits, practices can reduce the time spent on administrative tasks and increase the time spent on patient care. This, in turn, can lead to increased patient satisfaction and better health outcomes.
Pre-visit planning makes patient visits more efficient, giving you time to focus on what matters most to the patient and perhaps an opportunity for a little face time. Furthermore, pre-visit planning may enable you to arrive home an hour earlier. Pre-visit planning will create a sense of satisfaction with the day, a job well done, and the knowledge that your patients and staff feel the same.
Related: User blocked from platform after policy violation
Benefits of Pre-Visit Planning
Pre-visit planning can create a sense of satisfaction among patients and staff, as it allows for more efficient use of time and resources. By implementing pre-visit planning, practices can improve the overall quality of care and increase patient satisfaction.
It is a key component of practice management.
About Neil Baum, M.D. Baum is a professor of clinical urology at Tulane Medical School in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is the author of Marketing Your Clinical Practice: Ethically, Effectively, Economically, which is in its fourth edition, has sold over 175,000 copies and has been translated into Spanish. He has also written The Complete Business Guide to a Successful Medical Practice, which was published in 2015. He also authored What’s Going on Down There?, which has served as a guide for women’s health. He has written 10 books on practice management and the business of medicine. Baum was the columnist for American Medical News for more than 25 years. He wrote the popular column “The Bottom Line” for Urology Times for more than 20 years. He has authored or coauthored over 250 articles in peer-reviewed medical publications on various urologic topics, as well as articles on practice management. He has also authored The Business Basics of Building and Managing a Healthcare Practice (Springer 2019), which emphasizes the importance of being involved in the business of a medical practice.
