Consultation with Appointment Time

ROJoson Medical Clinic Consultation with Appointment Time

February 2, 2015; Updated: February 24, 2015; Updated: March 2, 2015; April 3, 2015

On my 66^th birthday, I have decided to try another scheme to decrease the waiting time of my patients consulting me in my clinic in Manila Doctors Hospital (MDH). [Note: I have tried other schemes before, such as calling before coming; giving out my cellphone numbers; creation of appointment schedule aside from regular schedule; etc.] I will try “consultation with appointment time.”

Starting February 3, 2015, I advise all patients who want to consult me in my MDH Clinic to call 522-47-13 or 524-30-11 Loc 4100 and talk to Ms. Ma. Lilibeth Tumambing (my secretary) to book for a specific date and time of appointment. Ms. Tumambing will use a set of guidelines that I will provide in the booking of specific date and time of appointment.

A confirmation-call or communication one (1) day [not later than 12 noon] before the booked date and time of appointment must be done. Otherwise, the booked appointment date and time shall be cancelled and the resulting available slot will be given to other patients.

Patients with a booked appointment should be at the ROJoson Medical Clinic in MDH DSMT Room 301 at least 30 minutes before the booked appointment time and should inform Ms. Tumambing of their presence. Otherwise, the booked appointment time slot will be given to other patients. Late arrival will result in a rebooking of the consultation either to another date or on the same appointment date but at the end of a queue and if there is still a slot available (Note: there is a preset limit in the number of patients to be seen for each clinic day.) Advice: Be on time and 30 minutes before a confirmed booked appointment time.

Ms. Tumambing and I will publicize and dry-run this scheme for the whole month of February 2015. [March 2, 2015 Note: will extend the orientation period to March 31, 2015]

We will refine it as needed until we reach this target: a cycle time of not more than one-and-a-half (1.5) hour in 90% of patients who go to ROJoson Medical Clinic for medical consultation. The cycle time starts from the patient’s required arrival (30-minutes prior to booked appointment time) to completion of actual consultation.

This will be another legacy that I will accomplish for my patients.

Note: In the near future, we will provide our patients with schemes on how to facilitate communication for booking appointments as well as how to get a parking space in the perimeter of MDH.

I have to issue this notice particularly on booking for an appointment and time through me. I was admonished today when I kindly accommodated two patients who did not pass through my secretary for the booking. From now on, all bookings for an appointment date and time will have to pass through my secretary. I don't have the appointment book with me. It is in my clinic with my secretary who uses it to orchestrate the consultation appointment date and time of patients who want to see me. From now on, if I send regrets that I cannot give a booking for an appointment date and time in my clinic, please understand. Thank you very much.

15feb24

Review (March 2, 2015) after one month of dry-run:

• Will discard giving of "Numbers" to patient as this is not effective in shortening the waiting time of patients The target is for 90% of all patients to have not more than 1.5 hours of waiting time (an average of one hour).

• Will strictly implement giving of an appointment time starting March 5, 2015.

• Patients for follow-up / check-up without any procedure to be done will be alloted 10 to 15 minutes.

• Patients with a procedure to be done in the clinic will be alloted 15 minutes to 30 minutes.

• The published clinic schedules such as 10-12 and 9-11 serve as guides only. If I am available, I can extend the clinic hours beyond the published clinic schedules. The final schedule for each clinic day will be determined a day before not later than noon. The most important determinant of a booked appointment time is a call a day before my published clinic schedules and there is a time given by my secretary.

• There will be a formal tracking of waiting time of patients starting April 2015 for 3 months using the following form (this form will be piloted in March 2015):

Tracking of Waiting Time of Patients in ROJoson Medical Clinic

Review (April 3, 2015)

Review of ROJoson Medical Clinic Scheme of Consultation Based on Appointment Time

Reynaldo O. Joson, MD

April 3, 2015

Goals:

To avoid long-waiting time of patients consulting at ROJoson Medical Clinic.

To have a waiting time of patients consulting at the ROJoson Medical Clinic not more than 1.5 hours.

Key Performance Indicators:

1. Dr. R.O. Joson starting clinic session on time (on declared starting time) – starting April 7, 2015

2. The waiting time of patients consulting at ROJoson Medical Clinic is not more than 1.5 hours.

a. Inclusion: patients with booked appointment time and who arrived 30 minutes before booked appointment time.

b. Exclusion: patients with booked appointment time and who did not arrived 30 minutes before booked appointment time.

c. Exclusion: patients with no booked appointment time (old patients and new patients)

Strategies:

1. Dr. R.O. Joson shall start on time (on declared starting time).

2. Patients shall be given an appointment time and they have to confirm their appointment time a day before.

3. Patients shall have to arrive 30 minutes before the appointment time.

4. Dr. R.O. Joson shall have a contingency plan to adjust to any prolonged consultation time so as to ensure no patients shall have a waiting time of more than 1.5 hours.

Mechanics:

· There will be a maximum of 20 patients per clinic session.

· There will be a maximum of 16 patients with booked appointment time. Four slots will be allotted for walk-in patients (new or old patients) without booked appointment time. If there will be less than 16 patients with book appointment time, more slots will be allotted for walk-in patients as long as the maximum of 20 patients per clinic session is maintained.

· A patient is booked for an appointment time, NOT a number.

· A patient without a procedure to be done will be allotted 10 – 15 minutes for clinic consultation.

· A patient with a procedure to be done will be allotted 15 to 30 minutes for clinic consultation.

· A patient has to call up the ROJoson Medical Clinic secretary (522-47-13 or 524-30-11 Loc 4100) for an appointment date and time. Booking may be done 3 months before; 2 months before; 1 month before; 1 – 2 weeks before; or even 1 day before.

· There shall be a confirmation of the booking one day before the appointment date. Otherwise, the booking shall be cancelled.

· A patient with a booked appointment time must arrive at the clinic 30 minutes before the appointment time. He/she must inform the clinic secretary of his/her arrival time.

· If late, a patient with a booked appointment time can be accommodated on certain conditions: he/she will be queued at the end of list of patients already booked for consultation on that day and as along the maximum of 20 patients per clinic session has not been reached.

· There will be a lunch break of 15 minutes for Dr. R.O. Joson and his clinic secretary.

· Typical clinic sessions of ROJoson Medical Clinic:

· Records to track achievement of key performance indicators:

ROJoson Medical Clinic

Tracking of Waiting Time of Patients (April 2015)

ROJ@15feb2;15mar2;15apr3