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Primary care access improvement: an empowerment-interaction model
G R Ledlow1, D M Bradshaw, C Shockley
1Graduate Faculty, Central Michigan University, Colleges of Extended Learning and Health Professions, Mount Pleasant 48858, USA.
Military Medicine
|May 29, 2000
Summary
A new empowerment-interaction model significantly improved primary care appointment availability by focusing on measurement and staff collaboration. This approach reduced unmet appointment needs from over 10% to under 3%.
Area of Science:
- Health Services Research
- Primary Care Management
- Healthcare Administration
Background:
- Improving access to community primary care presents ongoing challenges.
- A need was identified to enhance appointment availability within a managed care system.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate a systematic model for improving primary care appointment availability.
- To assess the impact of an empowerment-interaction model on appointment access.
Main Methods:
- Developed a systematic approach integrating measurement, staff empowerment, and inter-departmental interaction.
- Measured appointments demanded but not available as a key performance indicator.
- Utilized dependent-group t tests to compare pre- and post-intervention data.
Main Results:
- The empowerment-interaction model significantly improved the availability of routine and wellness appointments.
- Appointments demanded but not available decreased from over 10% to under 3%.
- Urgent appointment availability showed improvement, though not statistically significant.
Conclusions:
- The empowerment-interaction model is effective in enhancing primary care appointment accessibility, particularly for routine and wellness visits.
- Further development is needed for a prospective model to significantly improve urgent appointment availability.
- Organizational culture change towards beneficiary needs is crucial for sustained improvements.