A new pilot program at Yale Cancer Center offers patients next-day access for oncologic consultations to reduce treatment wait times and boost patient satisfaction, according to an Oct. 27 press release.
Physicians treated 3,107 new patients at four pilot sites.
Fifty-six percent of patients reported a timely appointment was important when choosing cancer care while 41 percent of patients wanted to wait for a specific specialist. Overall, 96 percent of patients said the next-day-access program met or exceeded their expectations.
The next-day access program developed by researchers is a "blueprint" for two subspecialty clinics and two Smilow Cancer Hospital Care Center Network sites.
Yale Cancer Center expects to roll the program out slowly at some of its sites, however, the press release said the process is "months to years away."