Karen presented our latest 3rd NAA stats. Still looking good:
Now we need to take the waits down to our 14 day target. Time for some small tests of change.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Brainstorm
Last week, we had a celebratory lunch meeting with our office staff. It turned out to be a goldmine of ideas.
Karen presented our latest 3rd NAA stats. Still looking good:
Now we need to take the waits down to our 14 day target. Time for some small tests of change.
Karen presented our latest 3rd NAA stats. Still looking good:
Now we need to take the waits down to our 14 day target. Time for some small tests of change.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Contagious
I’m leading with the stats (as of February 27) this week, because they are sweet!
Two weeks ago, I met with one of the university-based surgery groups to discuss Advanced Access. It felt like I was in that TV commercial where a man travels into the past to give advice to his younger self. Their group looked just like our group did one year ago when we first considered starting this process.
The division head was interested in Advanced Access because he (and his colleagues) realized that their patients were waiting too long for consultation appointments. Perhaps he'll be the clinical champion.
Other surgeons appeared skeptical. Again, this had a familiar air to it. Several openly expressed their skepticism. They began listing the reasons why Advanced Access wouldn't work for them: I’m too busy. I have research and teaching commitments. I can't increase my clinical load to work down backlog. We're already working as hard as we can.
Two weeks ago, I met with one of the university-based surgery groups to discuss Advanced Access. It felt like I was in that TV commercial where a man travels into the past to give advice to his younger self. Their group looked just like our group did one year ago when we first considered starting this process.
The division head was interested in Advanced Access because he (and his colleagues) realized that their patients were waiting too long for consultation appointments. Perhaps he'll be the clinical champion.
Other surgeons appeared skeptical. Again, this had a familiar air to it. Several openly expressed their skepticism. They began listing the reasons why Advanced Access wouldn't work for them: I’m too busy. I have research and teaching commitments. I can't increase my clinical load to work down backlog. We're already working as hard as we can.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Start Spreading the News
What a rewarding month I've had! I’m seeing signs of achieving our two goals: shortening our wait times, and engaging other physicians in this initiative.
I started February with a visit to Calgary to present our Advanced Access experience. The audience was very receptive. (Admittedly, their attendance at conference pre-selected them as having an interest in this topic, but still…) As I mentioned last time, Alberta is already showing great results in their prostate cancer care access project.
On my return, Karen unveiled our latest 3rd next available appointment data:
Is this the time we shift to a new stable system of shorter wait times? It looks promising!
I started February with a visit to Calgary to present our Advanced Access experience. The audience was very receptive. (Admittedly, their attendance at conference pre-selected them as having an interest in this topic, but still…) As I mentioned last time, Alberta is already showing great results in their prostate cancer care access project.
On my return, Karen unveiled our latest 3rd next available appointment data:
Is this the time we shift to a new stable system of shorter wait times? It looks promising!
Friday, February 8, 2008
Alberta Bound
Last week, I had the opportunity to present some of our Advanced Access results at a Prostate Cancer conference in Calgary. Alberta has a province-wide initiative to improve prostate cancer care, and the theme of this conference was improving access. While I was pleased to present our experience with a single aspect of improving access (pooled referrals from family physicians), I'm sure that I learned more than I contributed.
Calgary has developed a Rapid Access Clinic (RAC) for men suspected of having prostate cancer. Men sent to the RAC (a somewhat unfortunate acronym) can be assessed and have tests and biopsies completed in under 2 weeks rather than the previous standard of 3 months. Great work!
Another innovative part of RAC (really guys, let's work on that acronym!) is the group information session. When a man's prostate biopsy shows prostate cancer, he and his family need a lot of information about the nature of the disease and treatment options. In my practice, I generally book a 45-minute appointment to discuss this. This week, I've had 4 such sessions. That eats up a lot of office visit capacity.
In Calgary, men are invited to attend a group information session presented by several specialists, including a urologist and radiation oncologist. Offered several times a month, this program is an effective way to present consistent and comprehensive information using a standard curriculum. After this session, men are better prepared for a private discussion with their own urologist.
Calgary has developed a Rapid Access Clinic (RAC) for men suspected of having prostate cancer. Men sent to the RAC (a somewhat unfortunate acronym) can be assessed and have tests and biopsies completed in under 2 weeks rather than the previous standard of 3 months. Great work!
Another innovative part of RAC (really guys, let's work on that acronym!) is the group information session. When a man's prostate biopsy shows prostate cancer, he and his family need a lot of information about the nature of the disease and treatment options. In my practice, I generally book a 45-minute appointment to discuss this. This week, I've had 4 such sessions. That eats up a lot of office visit capacity.
In Calgary, men are invited to attend a group information session presented by several specialists, including a urologist and radiation oncologist. Offered several times a month, this program is an effective way to present consistent and comprehensive information using a standard curriculum. After this session, men are better prepared for a private discussion with their own urologist.
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