Improving Access to Care at Autism Treatment Centers: A System Analysis Approach.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare systems analysis
• Autism spectrum disorder diagnostics
• Pediatric healthcare access

Background:

• Increasing autism spectrum disorder (ASD) prevalence strains diagnostic and treatment resources.
• Systematic service delivery reorganization can mitigate delays and meet rising demand for ASD care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement and evaluate a year-long access improvement project in two clinical centers.
• To reduce delays in diagnosis and follow-up care for children with autism spectrum disorder.

Main Methods:

• Utilized system analysis to identify sources of delay in autism care pathways.
• Applied defined access principles to target changes within complex, multidisciplinary systems.
• Focused on reducing waitlists for follow-up appointments and decreasing time to new diagnosis.

Main Results:

• Achieved a 94% reduction in the autism patient waitlist at Nationwide Children's Hospital (NCH), from 99 to 6 patients.
• Reduced median delay for new ongoing care appointments by 22% at NCH.
• Secured a 94% reduction in the third next available appointment for new physician visits for children aged 3-5 at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC).

Conclusions:

• Demonstrated that two distinct clinical systems successfully improved access to autism diagnosis and follow-up care.
• Highlighted the effectiveness of identifying delay sources and implementing targeted changes based on access principles.
• Confirmed that with appropriate guidance and data analysis, significant improvements in healthcare access are achievable.