Dallas County Living Well Magazine Winter 2015 | Page 18

Courtesy Key-Whitman Eye Center New Technology Helping Clinics Improve their Patient Flow and Satisfaction Y ou’ve been there. We’ve all been there. You arrive for your doctor’s appointment on time, yet end up waiting … and waiting before you actually see the doctor. Isn’t there some way to improve efficiencies in clinic environments and improve patient flow? There is hope, and Key-Whitman Eye Centers is leading the way. Key-Whitman’s President and Chief Surgeon Jeffrey Whitman, M.D. explains, “Ever since I’ve been involved in medicine, patient wait time has really concerned me. Most doctors conduct surveys, and from our own research, we found wait time to be the single thing that bothers patients the most.” RFID technology is an automated system used to analyze patient flow Along with Dr. Whitman, Key-Whitman Executive Director Dan Chambers spearheaded RTLS (real-time location system), which relies on Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) badges to monitor the whereabouts of people in the building, as well as wait times of patients and real and average times Key-Whitman eye doctors and technicians spend serving patients. Key Whitman patients are assigned an RFID badge when they check in, so their movement and wait time can be tracked for the duration of their visit. Employees also don their badges as soon as they get to the office. “The No. 1 reason why staff members wear the RFID badges is so we know where everyone is at any given time. For example, if I’m on the first floor in our office, and a patient needs to see me on the second floor, the team can notify me, then they know I’m on my way and can prepare for my arrival,” Dr. Whitman says. While there are presently no other eye doctor’s or other medical offices in North Texas using the RTLS system, Dr. Whitman says, “We have worked with other clinics throughout the United States to adopt RTLS, because so many healthcare organizations are focused on improving efficiencies just as we have been.” Improving staff efficiencies by conducting “simulations” with RTLS Some of the goals Dr. Whitman and Chambers had in mind when the RTLS was launched at Key-Whitman two years ago was to reduce wait times, better utilize Key-Whitman staff and equipment, and to reduce the total time it takes to process a patient through the clinic. RTLS begins by collecting and analyzing data from a real time perspective such as how long a patient waits and how much time a doctor or technician spends in the room with a patient. Then the software aggregates the data is to help identify any occurring bottlenecks. The beauty of the RTLS is Chambers and team can use reliable, continuous data culled from process times to run “simulations.” They can perform “what if” analyses to mathematically optimize resource scheduling for doctors, staff and other resources. The RTLS system also relies on software, not staff, to analyze the data, which leads to more accurate adjustments to the clinic’s processes and a better patient experience. The best is yet to come at Key-Whitman’s new Headquarters in 2016 As technology continues to evolve at lightening speed, KeyWhitman plans to enhance the capabilities and efficiencies learned with the use of RTLS. As a result, patients can expect to see even more high-tech solutions at Key-Whitman‘s new Key-Whitman Eye Center has locations in Dallas, Uptown, North Dallas, Plano, North and South Arlington. www.keywhitman.com 16 DALLAS COUNTY Living Well Magazine | WINTER 2015