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Reduced Wait Times Mean Faster Access for New PatientsBy Bryan Tutt First-time patients at M. D. Anderson may not have to wait as long for their initial appointments as they have in the past. The institution has streamlined its medical review process, reducing the average wait from the time a patient first calls for an appointment until the actual appointment from 3 weeks to 11/2 weeks. Also, certain diagnostic and treatment services are now being offered on Fridays and weekends, giving patients increased and faster access to care. “M. D. Anderson has taken very proactive steps in reviewing and streamlining our access processes,” said Gerard Colman, the institution’s chief of clinical operations. “We have greatly reduced the wait times for new appointments, in most cases by more than 50%.” M. D. Anderson saw 26,587 new patients in 2008, and Connie Longuet, director of Patient Access Services, said she expects the number to increase to around 29,000 in 2009. With this increase, it is important to make sure all patients continue to receive personal, convenient care, she said. For physicians, the process of referring patients and sending their records has not changed. The online referral form and the myMDAnderson portal for physicians are available at www.mdanderson.org. Physicians may also refer patients by telephone at 1-800-392-1611, option 1. Patients may refer themselves by submitting a self-referral form at www.mdanderson.org or by calling 1-877-632-6789. Ms. Longuet said delays can result when physicians try to refer patients to M. D. Anderson by phoning a colleague who works at the hospital instead of using the toll-free number or Web site. “Every patient referral has to be processed by a patient access specialist,” said Ms. Longuet, “so the best way to refer a patient is to refer via the myMDAnderson physician portal or to call the physician referral number. Our patient access specialist will guide each person step by step, keeping them informed of the referral status and answering all their questions.” Patients who are referring themselves should have insurance information on hand and be prepared to answer a few questions about their diagnosis and current treatment when they call. “We want to make sure they get booked with the correct physician the first time,” Ms. Longuet said. As recently as February, new patients had to wait for their first appointment an average of 15 weekdays, including several days just to find out whether they would be accepted. Now, one-third of departments are scheduling appointments the same day or next day after the patient first calls, and the average time to the new patient appointment is 8 weekdays.For more information, talk to your physician, visit www.mdanderson.org, or call askMDAnderson at 1-877-632-6789. Other articles in OncoLog, July/August 2009 issue:
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