Outpatient Clinic Tracking Systems

Having looked at Patient Tracking Systems in the OR and ED settings in previous postings, we now turn to systems for Outpatient (Ambulatory) Clinics. As increasing numbers of medical conditions are conducted in the outpatient setting, the importance of managing patient flow increases. A tracking system can help optimize patient flow through Outpatient Clinics reducing wait times and increasing revenue.

Wavelength Information Services produces such a system.

A set of events is assigned to each patient when they arrive. As they receive each service, the user clicks to indicate that the patient is ready for their next event. The system displays the clinic that each patient is going to visit, along with the time of arrival, time of registration, and time the patient enters the care area.

In a study conducted to demonstrate the need for tracking systems in Outpatient Clinics, hospitals were found to have very different patient arrival patterns.

Two Ambulatory Surgical Centers were compared on the study. Hospital 1 has a clear patient arrival peak that will stress resources, whereas Hospital 2 has a more uniform patient arrival pattern.

This graph shows the gap between mean and maximum bed occupancy in an Ambulatory Surgical Center.

This table shows the variability from one physician to another when performing the same procedure.

Taken together, the results of this study demonstrate that the resources of Outpatient Centers are not used evenly throughout the day or by different providers resulting in stresses on the resources of the center. The study makes a strong case for a patient tracking system like the one above, which besides helping move patients through the center more quickly would allow for a patient arrival pattern that is more spread out.