During the presentation, the UC Health access team leaders shared information about their new “discharge concierge scheduling/bedside scheduling” service, which resulted in decreasing the number of times patients missed appointments at the UC Health Infectious Disease Center following hospital discharge by 42%.
UC Health’s success in this endeavor resulted from examining and evaluating no-show rates and details between 2017 and 2019 in an attempt to discover why 56% of patients scheduled for their hospital follow-up appointments in the Infectious Disease Center during this time weren’t showing up for their appointments. The team worked together to uncover a myriad of reasons that contributed to the “no-show” appointments, including:
Financial reasons.
Transportation issues.
Lack of reminders.
Once the team understood the primary reasons for the missed appointments, they were able to implement a more rigorous follow-up program for post-hospital discharge appointments (including use of My UC Health/MyChart). As a result, UC Health’s new discharge concierge scheduling/bedside scheduling program was established. The program has greatly reduced the number of no-show appointments at the UC Health Infectious Disease Center and allows patients to play a more active role in their healthcare.
During the program development, patients shared positive feedback. The following is a direct quote from an actual patient: “Thank you for letting me be more involved in my care.”
