RE: Open Access Clinic VA Pittsburgh

August 23, 2011

Great ideas to share. Thanks.

From: PTManager [mailto:PTManager ] On

Behalf Of Alan Petrazzi

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

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

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