RE: Open Access Clinic VA Pittsburgh

[Guest guest]

Alan,

How do you deal with the recurring visit walk-ins if all your therapists are

currently seeing patients?

1. Do the walk-ins wait?

2. Does one therapist take on a second patient and change from billing

one-to-one to group therapy?

3. Does the therapist split one-to-one time between two patients being seen at

the same time?

4. Do techs take on the managed care walk-ins while PT/PTAs work with Medicare

patients?

5. Other?

Last week a walk in patient told us there is a local clinic that has implemented

a similar scheduling model.

I'm curious how the unpredictability in the daily schedule works with patient

wait times and billing practices.

Thanks in advance,

Jon Mark Pleasant, PT

>

> Hi all.

> For the past several months, we've been working with a Systems Redesign Team

(Process  Engineers) to develop a Rapid Access/Open Access/On Demand PT Clinic

in our high-volume outpatient PT Department.  I am pleased to say that we're

accomplishing many goals with this ambitious project.  Our missed opportunity

rate (no shows and cancellations after the appt) rate has plummeted from 21% to

11% in 3 months.  Our productivity has increased to near full capacity for each

therapist.  The patients appreciate the flexibility and there have been numerous

compliments from our PCPs and other stakeholders.

> Simply, we are moving toward a system similar to the Med Express walk-in med

clinic models where we'll have 80% of our patients schedule and 20% 'open

access.'  Open access is offered for any service except evaluation -- i.e. DME

and follow-up visits.  We have developed an Access query that feeds off of our

electronic health record and appointment management software and it runs a few

statistical analyses and pulls the 'most likely to no-show' patients.  Our

secretaries call this limited # (instead of everybody the day before the appt)

of patients and often they do end up showing or rescheduling after this targeted

human contact.  

> Our productivity is optimized as the scheduled cancellations are now filled by

on-the-spot walk-ins.

> It's a beautiful system.  I am thinking of hosting a video teleconference if

anyone is interested and wants to learn more.  It's been a laborious

process--something that sounds easy becomes quite complex.  Let me know.

> Alan Petrazzi, MPT, MPMRehab DirectorVeterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare

SystemPittsburgh, PA

>

>

[Guest guest]

Alan,

How do you deal with the recurring visit walk-ins if all your therapists are

currently seeing patients?

1. Do the walk-ins wait?

2. Does one therapist take on a second patient and change from billing

one-to-one to group therapy?

3. Does the therapist split one-to-one time between two patients being seen at

the same time?

4. Do techs take on the managed care walk-ins while PT/PTAs work with Medicare

patients?

5. Other?

Last week a walk in patient told us there is a local clinic that has implemented

a similar scheduling model.

I'm curious how the unpredictability in the daily schedule works with patient

wait times and billing practices.

Thanks in advance,

Jon Mark Pleasant, PT

>

> Hi all.

> For the past several months, we've been working with a Systems Redesign Team

(Process  Engineers) to develop a Rapid Access/Open Access/On Demand PT Clinic

in our high-volume outpatient PT Department.  I am pleased to say that we're

accomplishing many goals with this ambitious project.  Our missed opportunity

rate (no shows and cancellations after the appt) rate has plummeted from 21% to

11% in 3 months.  Our productivity has increased to near full capacity for each

therapist.  The patients appreciate the flexibility and there have been numerous

compliments from our PCPs and other stakeholders.

> Simply, we are moving toward a system similar to the Med Express walk-in med

clinic models where we'll have 80% of our patients schedule and 20% 'open

access.'  Open access is offered for any service except evaluation -- i.e. DME

and follow-up visits.  We have developed an Access query that feeds off of our

electronic health record and appointment management software and it runs a few

statistical analyses and pulls the 'most likely to no-show' patients.  Our

secretaries call this limited # (instead of everybody the day before the appt)

of patients and often they do end up showing or rescheduling after this targeted

human contact.  

> Our productivity is optimized as the scheduled cancellations are now filled by

on-the-spot walk-ins.

> It's a beautiful system.  I am thinking of hosting a video teleconference if

anyone is interested and wants to learn more.  It's been a laborious

process--something that sounds easy becomes quite complex.  Let me know.

> Alan Petrazzi, MPT, MPMRehab DirectorVeterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare

SystemPittsburgh, PA

>

>

[Guest guest]

Alan,

How do you deal with the recurring visit walk-ins if all your therapists are

currently seeing patients?

1. Do the walk-ins wait?

2. Does one therapist take on a second patient and change from billing

one-to-one to group therapy?

3. Does the therapist split one-to-one time between two patients being seen at

the same time?

4. Do techs take on the managed care walk-ins while PT/PTAs work with Medicare

patients?

5. Other?

Last week a walk in patient told us there is a local clinic that has implemented

a similar scheduling model.

I'm curious how the unpredictability in the daily schedule works with patient

wait times and billing practices.

Thanks in advance,

Jon Mark Pleasant, PT

>

> Hi all.

> For the past several months, we've been working with a Systems Redesign Team

(Process  Engineers) to develop a Rapid Access/Open Access/On Demand PT Clinic

in our high-volume outpatient PT Department.  I am pleased to say that we're

accomplishing many goals with this ambitious project.  Our missed opportunity

rate (no shows and cancellations after the appt) rate has plummeted from 21% to

11% in 3 months.  Our productivity has increased to near full capacity for each

therapist.  The patients appreciate the flexibility and there have been numerous

compliments from our PCPs and other stakeholders.

> Simply, we are moving toward a system similar to the Med Express walk-in med

clinic models where we'll have 80% of our patients schedule and 20% 'open

access.'  Open access is offered for any service except evaluation -- i.e. DME

and follow-up visits.  We have developed an Access query that feeds off of our

electronic health record and appointment management software and it runs a few

statistical analyses and pulls the 'most likely to no-show' patients.  Our

secretaries call this limited # (instead of everybody the day before the appt)

of patients and often they do end up showing or rescheduling after this targeted

human contact.  

> Our productivity is optimized as the scheduled cancellations are now filled by

on-the-spot walk-ins.

> It's a beautiful system.  I am thinking of hosting a video teleconference if

anyone is interested and wants to learn more.  It's been a laborious

process--something that sounds easy becomes quite complex.  Let me know.

> Alan Petrazzi, MPT, MPMRehab DirectorVeterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare

SystemPittsburgh, PA

>

>

[Guest guest]

Great ideas to share. Thanks.

From: PTManager [mailto:PTManager ] On

Behalf Of Alan Petrazzi

Sent: Sunday, August 21, 2011 10:39 AM

To: PTManager

Subject: Open Access Clinic VA Pittsburgh

Hi all.

For the past several months, we've been working with a Systems Redesign

Team (Process Engineers) to develop a Rapid Access/Open Access/On

Demand PT Clinic in our high-volume outpatient PT Department. I am

pleased to say that we're accomplishing many goals with this ambitious

project. Our missed opportunity rate (no shows and cancellations after

the appt) rate has plummeted from 21% to 11% in 3 months. Our

productivity has increased to near full capacity for each therapist.

The patients appreciate the flexibility and there have been numerous

compliments from our PCPs and other stakeholders.

Simply, we are moving toward a system similar to the Med Express walk-in

med clinic models where we'll have 80% of our patients schedule and 20%

'open access.' Open access is offered for any service except evaluation

-- i.e. DME and follow-up visits. We have developed an Access query

that feeds off of our electronic health record and appointment

management software and it runs a few statistical analyses and pulls the

'most likely to no-show' patients. Our secretaries call this limited #

(instead of everybody the day before the appt) of patients and often

they do end up showing or rescheduling after this targeted human

contact.

Our productivity is optimized as the scheduled cancellations are now

filled by on-the-spot walk-ins.

It's a beautiful system. I am thinking of hosting a video

teleconference if anyone is interested and wants to learn more. It's

been a laborious process--something that sounds easy becomes quite

complex. Let me know.

Alan Petrazzi, MPT, MPMRehab DirectorVeterans Affairs Pittsburgh

Healthcare SystemPittsburgh, PA

[Guest guest]

Doug,

Did the walk-ins expect to be seen immediately upon their arrival?

Did the walk-ins result in any impact on the wait times of the scheduled

patients?

It would be interesting to see the demographics of patients who prefer walk-in

availability (younger?) and which prefer traditional scheduling (older?).

Thanks,

Jon Mark Pleasant, PT

>

> We tried this once and had great hopes but our attendance crashed as people

just blew it off because they could go any time. My 2 cents. Doug

>

> Doug Sparks

> Advanced Physical Therapy Concepts / APTC

> doug@...

> www.aptc.biz<http://www.aptc.biz/>

> Re: Open Access Clinic VA Pittsburgh

>

>

> I would love to have more details on this clinic model! For years I have

talked about having a " Jiffy Lube " model for outpatient therapy, where patients

can come when they want, may have to wait a bit, but often can get immediate

service. It is really the " future " for busy people who don't have time to make

appointments and have difficulty keeping them. Obviously it won't work for all

but certainly could/should be part of the service we provide to our patients.

We need to be available to our customers when they want/need us, not when " it

fits into OUR schedule " !

>

> Rsusick PT

> PPMC

> Portland, OR

>

>

>

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