ABSTRACT

Providers work at different paces and some reasons why patients visit a clinic require more time than others. There is also variability in care and patient engagement. Many clinics will plan for a certain amount of time for all patient appointments or visits. Clinics and providers use various strategies to schedule or plan the care day. In scheduled clinics, the patient schedule establishes the planned throughput for each day, week, and over the year. Comparing what was planned in the schedule to what happens can identify opportunities to increase throughput or adjust to better stay on time. Comparing planned versus actual will identify difference. When the overall daily difference significantly departs from the amount of time planned, then a clinic should consider adjusting the time duration scheduled for appointments, find ways to reduce that difference by improving the workflow, and consider altering the schedule template to include a different mix of appointments.