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Patients waiting in the reception area tend to become frustrated if they have to wait past their appointment time to see the physician. While some patients will begin interrupting staff to ask how much longer they have to wait, others may begin complaining to those around them, creating visible and audible disturbances within the practice. This behavior tends to catch-on quickly among patients, often resulting in a room full of restless people and increased staff stress. Physician stress levels also tend to rise in these circumstances, since there is little time to make necessary phone calls or complete charts between patients. Most of the work will be left until the end of the day, when the foot and ankle surgeon is likely tired and will consequently take longer to complete.
While no medical office schedule can be guaranteed to run on time, a well-planned schedule will offer enough flexibility to ensure that last-minute changes and interruptions will have the least amount of impact on physicians, patients, and staff.
Remaining on schedule in the medical office can become increasingly difficult for foot and ankle surgeons. Some patients without a doubt will require more than their allotted time to complete their appointments, while others may have to be squeezed into an already full schedule. Phone calls and emergencies can also interrupt the workflow of the physician. It is not unusual for physicians who begin their day even five minutes later than anticipated, to fall further behind as the day progress. Therefore, it is important for foot and ankle surgeons to start their day on time and to make every effort to remain on time.
Staff can identify the average number of same-day appointment requests received for each day of the week. This number will help to determine how many time slots should be held open each day. Staff should design the foot and ankle surgeon’s schedule to suit his/her work style. For example, if a foot and ankle surgeon tends to work at quick pace, creating a schedule using 10-15 minute slots may be suitable. Staff should book the early part of the schedule with brief, routine patient visits to help ensure the schedule is off to a good start. Obtaining basic patient information before a patient’s visit can help improve the office’s administrative efficiency.
Keep in mind when creating a schedule, a variety of circumstances that require careful planning or on the spot adjustments must be accommodated. These include late arrivals, foot and ankle surgeon’s vacation time, practice management seminars and surgical skills courses.
Staying on schedule not only provides patients with excellent care and service, it also offers foot and ankle surgeons and staff the opportunity to keep stress levels to a minimum and improve time management.
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