Big Access Week: Decreasing Dermatology Patient Wait Times in a Strained Healthcare System.

Area of Science:

• Dermatology
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Growing patient waitlists are a significant challenge in the United States, particularly in rural areas.
• Dartmouth Dermatology, a tertiary care center, faced a substantial waitlist of 3,654 unseen patients by September 2023.
• Long wait times impede timely access to essential dermatological care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of a novel workflow model implemented during 'Big Access Week' on reducing patient wait times.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of a four-pronged approach in managing patient flow and increasing access to care.
• To determine if a short-term, intensive access initiative can maintain high-quality patient care.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of Dartmouth Dermatology's 'Big Access Week' from December 11-15, 2023.
• Utilized a four-pronged approach: patient categorization, community sensitization, managing patient expectations, and operational adjustments.
• Saw 1,532 patients, including 1,180 new patients, within a single week.

Main Results:

• Reduced average referral to visit time to 98.7 days.
• Diagnosed 124 malignancies, including basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma.
• Achieved an average patient satisfaction rating of 3.8 out of 4.

Conclusions:

• Dartmouth Dermatology's Big Access Week workflow model successfully shortened waitlist times.
• The initiative demonstrated the feasibility of improving healthcare access without compromising care quality.
• This model offers a scalable solution for various medical and surgical subspecialties facing access challenges.