The majority –– 61 percent –– of healthcare leaders said their organization used a patient wait list for next-available appointments, the Medical Group Management Association's most recent Stat poll found.
MGMA asked healthcare leaders if their organization utilizes a patient wait list to fill appointments as they became available. The June 19 poll received 1,347 responses.
In all, 61 percent of leaders said their organization utilized a patient wait list for next-available appointments, 7 percent were considering it, 29 percent did not and the remaining 3 percent were unsure.
Of the 61 percent of leaders who reported using wait lists, many described how this function is incorporated in their EHR. Others said they use a paper wait list. Of the 29 percent that did not use a list, a number of respondents said they offer same-day appointments or can see patients within 2-3 days.
"Patients should be kept up to date on their expected waiting time. Giving them updates about when they might expect to be seen eases anxiety and allows them to anticipate being available at a certain time," MGMA Principal Consultant Pamela Ballou-Nelson, PhD, RN, wrote in a data insight article.
"If your practice has alternative availability, such as other offices or new providers, offering these alternatives will go a long way in improving patient satisfaction and patient safety."