Team-Based Care Model Improves Timely Access to Care and Patient Satisfaction in General Cardiology

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Healthcare Management
• Patient Access to Care

Background:

• National appointment wait times, particularly in cardiology, have risen since 2014.
• A mid-Atlantic academic medical center faced challenges with general cardiology clinic access below national standards, impacting patient outcomes and satisfaction.
• Suboptimal access to care can lead to negative patient outcomes and decreased satisfaction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a team-based care (TBC) model on access to care and patient satisfaction in an outpatient general cardiology clinic.
• To assess the effectiveness of integrating advanced practice providers (APPs) into cardiology care teams.
• To improve timely outpatient management of cardiac conditions.

Main Methods:

• A formative program evaluation using the Agency for Clinical Innovation framework was conducted.
• The study compared access to care and patient satisfaction measures between TBC providers (including APPs and cardiologists) and non-team providers.
• Data were compared against national benchmarks.

Main Results:

• Nine months post-implementation, TBC providers saw a 47% decrease in average new patient appointment wait times (31 days) compared to non-team providers (41 days, 20% decrease).
• TBC achieved a higher percentage of new patient appointments within 14 days (39%) versus non-team providers (20%).
• Patient satisfaction scores for TBC reached the 98th percentile nationally, while non-team providers saw a decrease to the 71st percentile.

Conclusions:

• The team-based care (TBC) model, incorporating advanced practice providers (APPs), effectively improved access to outpatient general cardiology care.
• TBC significantly enhanced patient satisfaction, positioning it favorably against national benchmarks.
• This model offers a viable strategy for healthcare systems to address challenges in timely access to specialized care.