A systems approach to improving patient flow at UVA Cancer Center using Real-Time Locating System

Anna Ewing, Jordan Rogus, Prathibha Chintagunta, Logan Kraus, Morgan Sabol, Hyojung Kang

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

Long wait times not only indicate costly inefficiencies for healthcare facilities, but they also influence patient satisfaction and outcomes. As healthcare systems transition from provider centric care to patient centric care, increasing efforts have been made to reduce patient waiting times. At the University of Virginia, the Emily Couric Clinical Cancer Center (ECCCC) has experienced a 30% growth in patients over the past 3 years, resulting in a visible increase in wait times. In an effort to reduce wait times, the ECCCC has recently adopted a Real-Time Locating System (RTLS) that monitors patients' and providers' transient locations throughout the facility. The objectives of this project were to 1) to develop a framework to utilize RTLS data with other electronic medical records (EMR), and 2) to demonstrate how combined data can be used to better understand the flow of patients, bottlenecks, and patient-provider interactions in order to improve ECCCC operations. We combined data sets from multiple sources and statistically analyzed the data from patient and provider perspectives. Results indicate that the East Waiting and first floor Waiting areas have the highest average wait times and thus were identified as bottlenecks. Other locations at the ECCCC such as the Registration area were found to have significantly high average dwell times. A regression model indicated that patients visiting the ECCCC in the mid-morning, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m., experienced longer length of stay than patients visiting at other times. Analysis of patient-provider interactions showed that providers are on average 48 minutes late to appointments. Recommendations include tailoring scheduling to prevent appointment delays and investigating processes such as registration. Future work includes intervention strategy testing through simulation of the entire multi-clinic ECCCC.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publication2017 Systems and Information Engineering Design Symposium, SIEDS 2017
PublisherInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
Pages259-264
Number of pages6
ISBN (Electronic)9781538618486
DOIs
StatePublished - May 31 2017
Externally publishedYes
Event2017 Systems and Information Engineering Design Symposium, SIEDS 2017 - Charlottesville, United States
Duration: Apr 28 2017 → …

Publication series

Name2017 Systems and Information Engineering Design Symposium, SIEDS 2017

Conference

Conference2017 Systems and Information Engineering Design Symposium, SIEDS 2017
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityCharlottesville
Period4/28/17 → …

Keywords

  • Patient flow
  • Patient tracking
  • Real-Time Locating System
  • Statistical analysis

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Hardware and Architecture
  • Information Systems and Management
  • Computer Science Applications
  • Information Systems
  • Control and Systems Engineering
  • Decision Sciences (miscellaneous)

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