For Healthcare Professionals Only
Dermatologists see an extraordinarily high volume of patients each day. According to the Medical Group Management Association, the median dermatologist juggles 5,372 ambulatory visits a year — more than any other specialty reported on.
Our own research indicates that dermatologists see between 27 and 34 patients per day per physician. With such a large number of patients, it is crucial to make work flow smoothly in your office, not only to keep from being buried but also to ensure high-quality patient care. Better workflow also can help you fit more patients into your already busy day, improving access for patients who otherwise might be forced to wait many months for an appointment. This monthly series of essays will show how your office can be more efficient by:
Our first essay is on scheduling and staying on time.
When patients schedule a visit, be sure to allow enough time. In the practices we visited for The Patient-Centered Dermatology Practice, most could comfortably manage established-patient visits in 15 minutes or less. Procedures, of course, take much longer.
Dermatologists see 27 to 34 patients per day per physician.
About half the practices we saw scheduled more than one patient for the same — or slightly staggered — time slot. That way, a medical assistant (MA) can room the first patient, making sure the correct chart and all supplies and instruments are ready. The physician then enters the exam room, greets the patient, and assesses whether the patient requires a biopsy or excision of the lesion. The physician then moves on to another exam room to see another patient while the MA in the first exam room prepares that patient for the procedure, if needed. Then the physician returns to the first exam room to perform the office procedure. At the same time, an MA in the second exam room is either prepping the second patient or rooming a third patient.
Similarly, physicians can combine an acute visit with a longer, new-patient visit, since an MA will be with the new patient for the intake period. The physician can handle the acute visit and then move on to the new visit when the MA is finished — all in the amount of time that a new visit would have consumed.
For such schedules to work, the first patient of the day should be scheduled to arrive at least 15 minutes before the physician workday starts. Staff can handle check-in, do the necessary preparatory work, and room the patient so that when the physician arrives, on time, he or she can immediately see the patient. Obviously, it’s important for the physician to start the day when scheduled.
Starting on time is one thing; staying on time is harder, at least for some. If physicians in your office constantly run behind schedule, ask an MA or someone else on the staff to knock on the exam room door after a certain amount of time has elapsed. The MA can give the physician a faux message that “Dr. Jones” is on the phone. This is actually the code for “hurry up.” The physician always has the option of saying, “Tell Dr. Jones I’ll call her back.” This is the code for “I need more time with this patient.”
Schedule the first patient of the day to arrive at least 15 minutes before the physician workday starts. Check-in and prep work can all be done, and the physician can immediately see the patient as soon as he or she arrives.
An alternative solution is to give physicians a vibrating or text pager. Page the physician if he or she is running behind.
Our essay next month will be "Finding the Right Examination Room."
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Disclaimer: The material above has been prepared by Physicians Practice. It has not been reviewed by the DermQuest Editorial Board for its accuracy or reliability. Reference to any products, service, or other information does not constitute or imply endorsement, sponsorship, or recommendation by members of the Editorial Board.