Creative strategies to address challenges in access.

Authors

null

Carlos Ruiz

Nebraska Medicine, Omaha, NE

Carlos Ruiz, Susan Franco

Organizations

Nebraska Medicine, Omaha, NE

Research Funding

Other

Background: The Cancer Center is structured across multiple campuses with clinics at three different locations. Patients, providers and referring offices encountered difficulty accessing services and encountered a fragmented structure and a non-standardized process. Patient and provider calls often resulted in multiple transfers. Referring providers and patients frequently left a voicemail for new patient appointments. There was no standardized process for addressing urgent clinical calls from patients. This led to delays in access for new patient appointments, delays in patient care and poor patient experience scores. Overall telephone statistics went untracked. Methods: A multidisciplinary team was organized and tasked with the creation of a centralized Cancer Contact Center (CCC). In August 2015 the CCC became a reality with the vision of “One Call Resolution” for anybody needing access to the services of the Cancer Center. Single telephone and fax numbers were created and all staff were placed together in one location. Three distinct job roles made up the CCC: Telephone Operators, as the main point of initial contact; New Patient Coordinators, to facilitate new patient referrals, record collection and scheduling; and Lead Nurses to provide clinical oversight and guidance. Processes were put in place to ensure standardization and consistent outcomes. Operator guidelines were conceived and an articulated approach to managing patient clinical concerns was planned. Clinical triage of these concerns initially involved the Telephone Operators, RN Case Managers and Lead Nurses. Later, clinical triage evolved into the creation of a specific triage line and Triage Nurses for clinical questions and to further ensure patient safety. Results: Patient experience scores relating to telephone accessibility for patients have increased from a 56.9 Top Box score to a 67.5 score. Telephone answer rates have been sustained above 95%. Conclusions: The creation of a centralized Cancer Contact Center has enabled all calls, referrals and clinical triage to be initially managed in one location under a standardized process with sustainable results.

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Abstract Details

Meeting

2018 ASCO Quality Care Symposium

Session Type

Poster Session

Session Title

Poster Session B: Projects Relating to Patient Experience; Projects Relating to Safety; Technology and Innovation in Quality of Care

Track

Projects Relating to Patient Experience,Projects Relating to Safety,Technology and Innovation in Quality of Care

Sub Track

Provider Impact on Quality from the Patient Perspective

Citation

J Clin Oncol 36, 2018 (suppl 30; abstr 215)

DOI

10.1200/JCO.2018.36.30_suppl.215

Abstract #

215

Poster Bd #

F6

Abstract Disclosures

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