Three ways to optimize patient flow

<p id="">As healthcare moves from fee for service to <a href="http://www.insight-txcin.org/post/value-based-care-vs-fee-for-service" id="">value-based care models</a>, medical practices need to maintain relationships with a broad range of patients. This means getting patients through the door and operating your practice as efficiently as possible. </p><p id="">Patient flow is sometimes called ‘throughput’ - the sum of services provided by a healthcare institution. <a href="https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/throughput" id="">Throughput</a> includes the number of patients you treat, procedures you perform and laboratory or radiological services your practice performs. </p><p id=""><strong id="">Here are </strong><a href="https://www.athenahealth.com/insight/infographic-optimizing-patient-flow" id=""><strong id="">three ways to optimize throughput</strong></a><strong id=""> while prioritizing patient care. </strong></p><h2 id="">#1 - Enhance scheduling and outreach</h2><p id="">The best way to improve throughput is to assess your organization and see where you can boost numbers. </p><p id="">According to athenahealth, roughly <a href="https://www.athenahealth.com/insight/infographic-optimizing-patient-flow" id="">30 percent of medical appointments</a> go unused. Start by analyzing where you have cancellations and overbook those time slots. </p><p id="">You can also get patients through the door by improving outreach. Automated reminders and cancellation and reschedule campaigns can help prevent missed appointments.</p><h2 id="">#2 - Optimize patient encounters</h2><p id="">Your practice can enhance physicians’ time with patients by strategically reducing providers’ work and stress. </p><p id="">A good rule is to delegate work to non-physician personnel whenever possible. Make sure administrative staff handle general outreach, front office staff complete chart prep and physicians’ assistance handle lab work, vaccines, quality documentation and prescription refills.</p><figure id="" class="w-richtext-figure-type-image w-richtext-align-fullwidth" style="max-width:871px" data-rt-type="image" data-rt-align="fullwidth" data-rt-max-width="871px"><a href="https://www.athenahealth.com/resources/blog/infographic-optimizing-patient-flow" target="_blank" id=""><div id=""><img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/67d32f4cc8c3d72092d6b92f/67f6bfdf435c6077fce73ac7_67e30e2f9bc851ddc045577d_Screen-Shot-2018-11-04-at-9.23.48-PM.png" alt="__wf_reserved_inherit" width="auto" height="auto" loading="auto" id=""></div></a><figcaption id="">Athenahealth 2018 <a href="https://www.athenahealth.com/insight/infographic-optimizing-patient-flow" target="_blank" id="">Infographic</a></figcaption></figure><p id="">Strategically building effective support teams can optimize physician time and streamline workflows. It’s also important to collect and analyze data to assess your patient throughput process and set goals accordingly.</p><h2 id="">#3 - Adopt supplemental technology</h2><p id="">Technology should allow doctors to spend more time with patients - not less. </p><p id="">Consider integrating <a href="http://45.33.12.216/" id="">mobile technology</a> like smartphones into your workflow. With the right software and training, mobile devices can <a href="https://www.athenahealth.com/blog/2016/07/01/maximizing-physician-time" id="">help providers complete tasks</a> without getting distracted from patient care. </p><p id="">As health systems systems work to enhance throughput, easing providers’ administrative load can improve patient flow without sacrificing patient care. Adopting smart tools and workflow can lead to both healthier practices and greater overall satisfaction.</p>