Eau Claire and Portage Clinics Improve Efficiency, Win Davis Awards

Two projects aimed at improving clinic efficiency—specifically, reducing wait times for nursing visits at the UW Portage Clinic, and reducing total patient appointment times at the UW Health Eau Claire Family Medicine Clinic—won the 11th annual James E. Davis Quality Improvement Awards.

The awards were presented on November 5, 2011, during the Renner/Hansen ceremony and reception.

Portage: Reducing Wait Times for Nursing Visits

At the Portage Clinic, a team led by Namrata Magar, MD, aimed to ensure that all patients waited no more than 10 minutes for a nursing visit.

When the project launched in late May 2011, only 62 percent of patients waited 10 minutes or less between clinic check-in and actual nursing appointment. Electronic medical record data (and direct observation) showed that the remaining 38 percent waited longer.

The team performed an analysis and found that lack of communication after a patient's arrival in the clinic was the leading cause of the problem.

They decided to implement a phone extension line that rings at all clinical staff phones after a nursing appointment patient checks in. Whoever answers this call communicates with other clinical staff to make sure the patient is seen in a timely fashion.

The result? By early September, wait times had improved dramatically: 96 percent of nursing patients were now being seen within 10 minutes of check-in.

Eau Claire: Reducing Cycle Times

At the Eau Claire clinic, a learner-led team directed by resident Krissa Schuldt, DO, aimed to improve "cycle time," the total amount of time patients spend at the clinic, from initial check-in through check-out.

At the start of the project, average cycle times for Dr. Schuldt's patients were twice the scheduled appointment length. The national benchmark is 1.5 times the appointment length.

Again, staff communication was found to be one of the biggest root causes of the problem. The team initiated regular physician-nurse "huddles" and focused on pre-visit planning to improve patient flow and clinic efficiency.

After six months, the team had gotten average cycle times down to 1.8 times the scheduled visit. They continue to hold regular huddles and monitor how this correlates to improved cycle times.

Related story: Eau Claire Resident-Led Microsystems Project Leads To Efficiencies, Better Care

About the Davis Award

The James E. Davis Award for Quality Improvement was established in 2001 to recognize outstanding quality projects in the department. Each year, awards are made in two categories: learner-led projects and department group projects. Each winning team receives a plaque and a $500 cash award.