Transforming an Electrophysiology Practice
To Impact Timeliness of Care

Studies of the U.S. healthcare system have indicated that timely access to appropriate providers improves the delivery, quality, and outcomes of care. Conversely, delayed or limited access contributes to patient/provider frustration, poorly coordinated care, unnecessary emergency room visits, and potential increases in the burden and cost of disease.

A recent high-profile crisis in health care focused on prolonged and unfair wait times at Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facilities that led to potentially preventable morbidity and mortality. In response to this, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) was commissioned by the VA to understand experiences and opportunities throughout the nation related to the scheduling of and access to health care. In a very recent publication from October 2015, the IOM summarized their findings and established that inappropriate scheduling practices are a systemic problem across the entire nation and called for an end to arbitrary scheduling standards, for more transparency, more accountability, and for more attention to be paid to the “corrosive culture” that led to the manipulation of data in the system (1). The report also concludes that opportunities exist to implement enhanced practices and strategies.

Appropriate Access To Care Within 48 Hours has been identified as one of the top priorities of the Spectrum Health System. To measure access, Spectrum Health uses ‘third next available appointment’ which is the average length of time in days between the day a patient makes a request for an appointment and the third available appointment. Many service lines have prolonged wait times across the Spectrum Health System and, like the VA system, there is tremendous opportunity for improvement. The Cardiology Department of Cardiovascular Services is one of the