University Health Services will be operating on a new, more efficient system this year, officials say.
In past years the system worked on a nurse triage system, according to Dr. Michael E. Leonard, Fellow American Academy of Family Physicians, the medical director at Health Services. Students would come in and see a nurse, and while the problem could be handled that way half the time, the other cases would require the help of a nurse practitioner. Students would also sometimes need to come back again in order to see a physician.
“The wait was getting longer,” Leonard said. “We kept tweaking and tweaking [the system], then finally decided to change it entirely.”
The new system was developed by staff over the spring and summer. It is called Open Access Scheduling and allows personnel to “do today’s work today,” according to Leonard.
Health Services will now offer walk-in mornings from 8 to 11 a.m. and appointment-only afternoons from 1 to 3:45 p.m. Sixty percent of afternoon appointments will be same-day only and 40 percent will remain open.
Urgent cases will always be admitted, however.
“It will be like a traditional office visit,” Leonard said.
The goal of the new system is to use all staff in the most efficient way possible and to provide the best possible care for students, according to Johann Fiore-Conte, MS, RN, the administrative director of University Health Services.
“We want to maintain quality and maximize efficiency,” she said.
Though new hours have just started recently, Health Services has received feedback from some students.
“From candid comments, students like it,” Fiore-Conte said. “It is a more efficient use of students’ time.”
Around 50 students visited Health Services on the morning of Sept. 4, according to Leonard. So far, same-day appointments have been easily available.
“We’re pleasantly surprised, but we’re still cautious,” Leonard said, adding that the system had not yet withstood the test of flu season. “Things are moving quickly, people are coming in and seeing who they need to see, and then they’re done.”
Possible improvements for the future include having one nurse do all lab tests and adding additional nurses to teams.
Besides the change in the appointment system, Health Services has plenty to celebrate this year.
The department recently received its fourth three-year accreditation by a national body which monitors competence and improvement. It also places high importance on self-assessment and high standards.