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Outpatient Practice Reactivation in an Integrated Community Practice During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Gokhan Anil1, Bipinchandra Hirisave Krishna1, Christine C Johnson1
1Mayo Clinic Health System-Southwest Minnesota Region, Mankato, Minnesota, USA.
Insights
Mayo Clinic Health System safely reactivated outpatient care post-COVID-19 by implementing a novel framework. This approach successfully restored ambulatory visit volumes and clinic utilization to pre-pandemic levels within nine weeks.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare Management
- Public Health
- Infectious Disease Control
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted healthcare services globally.
- Mayo Clinic Health System's Southwest Minnesota Region experienced a 90% decrease in outpatient services in March 2020.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the methodology used for the safe reactivation of outpatient care.
- To present the tools developed and the outcomes of these reactivation efforts.
Main Methods:
- Development and implementation of a novel Outpatient Practice Reactivation Framework.
- Framework components included an Outpatient Clinic Appointment Dashboard, Decision Matrix, Access Management, Virtual Care, and Patient Safety protocols.
- Guidance was based on patient demand, safety principles, and recommendations from health agencies and infectious disease experts.
Main Results:
- Ambulatory visit volumes and clinic utilization returned to pre-COVID-19 levels within nine weeks.
- Post-reactivation fill rates ranged from 86% to 89%, exceeding the 80% target.
- Successful reactivation was attributed to shared priority, robust scheduling, clear structure, inclusive approach, transparent communication, guiding principles, and staff training.
Conclusions:
- The Outpatient Practice Reactivation Framework effectively facilitated the safe resumption of outpatient services.
- The initiative demonstrated the ability to restore healthcare capacity while maintaining high utilization rates.
- Key factors for success included strategic planning, clear communication, and staff engagement.
Abstract:
Introduction: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted health care organizations throughout the world. The Southwest Minnesota Region of Mayo Clinic Health System, a community-based health care system, was not immune, and in March 2020, our outpatient services were deferred and decreased by 90%. Method: This article is a review of the approach we used to safely reactivate outpatient care, the tools that we developed, and the outcomes of these reactivation efforts. A novel Outpatient Practice Reactivation Framework was established and used that included Outpatient Clinic Appointment Dashboard, Decision Matrix, Access Management, Virtual Care, and Patient Safety. This framework was guided by patient demand for care and by safety principles, as recommended by state and federal agencies and our internal infectious disease department guidelines. Results and Conclusions: Over the course of 9 weeks, ambulatory visit volumes and clinic utilization rates returned to pre-COVID levels (Pre-COVID fill rate range: 87% to 94%, post-COVID fill rate range: 86% to 89%) exceeding target fill rate of 80%, as a result of establishing the initiative as a shared priority, committing to a robust schedule and decisive actions, creating and maintaining a well-defined structure, taking an inclusive approach, overcommunicating and providing sufficient data for transparency, developing guiding principles, and training and educating staff.
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