Design of Integral Reminder for Collaborative Appointment Management

Reminder systems have great potential to enhance healthcare outcome, but there is a big space for improvement to facilitate the collaborative appointment management with accessible mobile communication technology. This study proposes a design of integral reminder systems that automates the process of appointment rescheduling for patients and physicians in addition to confirmation and cancellation. Based on the premises of patient-centered care of media synchronicity theory, design principles are proposed to cater to the different requirements of healthcare providers and patient users on appointment management. The design provides useful guidelines for building integral reminder systems that enhance medical compliance

Requirements of time management tools for outpatient physiotherapy practice

The effects of electronic appointment booking systems on the time management activities of health professionals have received little attention to date. We report on time management practices in three outpatient physiotherapy departments with different paper and electronic systems. The study has identified a set of time management activities and associated social behaviours common to physiotherapy departments. The convenience, flexibility and expressive nature of paper diary systems is of significant value to users, whilst the clarity and superior database functionality of electronic systems are valued by staff using this medium. The study highlights several potential barriers to the effective deployment of electronic booking systems in physiotherapy departments, including poor resource and training provision, concerns regarding restrictive diary control measures, the continued reliance on burdensome duplication procedures and the need to coordinate multiple information artefacts, which need to be addressed if such technology is to be successfully designed and deployed. Copyright © 2005 SAGE Publications (London, Thousand Oaks, CA and New Delhi)

Cancer Care Coordinators: Realising the Potential for Improving the Patient Journey

A person diagnosed with cancer can receive multiple treatments in a variety of different health care settings over extended periods of time1. During this time, they come into contact with multiple health care providers. For example, one recent UK study reported that cancer patients with a diagnosis of less than one year had met 28 doctors on average since their diagnosis2. Add to this the many other health professionals with whom the patient will come into contact during their illness and the complex maze that can characterise the patient’s cancer journey is obvious. The Optimising Cancer Care in Australia report3 published in 2003 by the peak cancer organisations in Australia concluded that there are many places for the person with cancer to get lost in the system, causing unnecessary morbidity and undue distress. The lack of an integrated care system for people with cancer was identified as a major failing of today’s health system3. A number of states in Australia have moved to appoint cancer care coordinators as a strategy to address such problems. In Queensland, cancer coordination positions have been established in a number of Health Service Districts in the Southern and Central Zone of the State, initially to scope patterns of care, referral pathways and to define a cancer coordination model for their regions that is consistent across the state, but able to meet the local needs of the population. To support its Cancer Clinical Service Framework, the NSW Health Department plans to recruit up to 50 cancer nurse coordinators. Cancer nurse coordinators in NSW will work through Lead Clinicians and Directors of Area Cancer Services to support oncology team meetings, develop care pathways and protocols, and provide a direct source of contact for patients and primary care physicians accessing cancer services4. In Victoria, a number of program coordinators and regional nurse coordinators have been introduced as part of the breast services enhancement program. Individual institutions have also established nurse coordinator roles for specific tumour streams. The cancer care coordinator role is a rapidly emerging one with a mandate to achieve some potentially far-reaching reforms to systems of care. To ensure these developments realise their potential, it is timely to consider the most effective ways to design and implement models of care coordination thatachieve the improvements being sought for the Australian cancer care system

Guiding Transformation: How Medical Practices Can Become Patient-Centered Medical Homes

Describes in detail eight change concepts as a guide to transforming a practice into a patient-centered medical home, including engaged leadership, quality improvement strategy, continuous and team-based healing relationships, and enhanced access

Providing Preventive Oral Health Care to Infants and Young Children in Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), Early Head Start, and Primary Care Settings

This report focuses on seven oral health programs that provide preventive oral health care to young children (infants, toddlers, and children up to 5 years old) in Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), Early Head Start (EHS), and primary care settings. All of the programs strive to increase access to preventive oral health care by integrating dental services into primary care settings, WIC clinics, or EHS centers. These programs also rely on primary care providers (physicians, nurses, medical assistants, etc.) or new types of dental hygienists who can practice in community settings to deliver preventive oral health services. Two additional reports in this series describe the remaining programs that provide care in non-dental settings and programs designed to specifically address socioeconomic, cultural, and geographic barriers to preventive oral health care.The findings from the EAs of these programs are synthesized to highlight diverse and innovative strategies that are utilized to provide preventive oral health care in primary care settings, WIC clinics, or EHS centers. These strategies have potential for rigorous evaluation and could emerge as best practices. If proven effective, these innovative program elements could then be disseminated and replicated to increase access for populations in need of preventive oral health care

Improving Medicaid Managed Care for Youth With Serious Behavioral Health Needs: A Quality Improvement Toolkit

Profiles successful initiatives by Medicaid managed care organizations in a collaboration to implement systems of care emphasizing early identification, coordination and management, and various services and supports in the least restrictive settings

Marshfield Clinic: Health Information Technology Paves the Way for Population Health Management

Highlights Fund-defined attributes of an ideal care delivery system and best practices, including an internal electronic health record, primary care teams, physician quality metrics and mentors, and standardized care processes for chronic care management

Exploring Strategies for Reducing Patient Failure to Keep Scheduled Appointments

High no-show rates in the ambulatory setting lead to underutilized resources, decreased clinic revenue, and lower productivity. The purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies that administrators used to maintain acceptable no-show rates and maintain the sustainability of the healthcare practice. The target population for this study included local chapter members of a professional healthcare organization that provided access to practice managers and administrators in the Las Vegas, Nevada regional area where there are a large number of practices that are not part of a health system; the sustainability of these practices is dependent on allocation of adequate resources. The conceptual framework for this study was Kotter\u27s 8-step change management model that uses 8 steps for successfully managing change within the organization and developing quality improvement initiatives. Data collection included semistructured interviews with 2 practice leaders, observation of the organization\u27s practice management and appointment scheduling systems, and a review of internal reports related to appointment trends and no-show rates. Based on the data analysis using deductive and open coding techniques, 3 distinctive themes emerged from the data: appointment booking strategies, appointment reminder strategies, and provider flexibility. The results of this study might positively affect positive social change by helping administrators improve access to care in an outpatient setting through improved appointment utilization and improve patient care outcomes with more appointment availability

Project HealthDesign: Rethinking the Power and Potential of Personal Health Records: Round One Final Report

Describes an initiative to develop prototypes for next-generation personal health record applications on a common platform focused on self-management for better health. Outlines grantees' prototypes for user-centered daily monitoring and lessons learned