Name
#75 Collaborative Approach to Enhancing Access to Care and Optimizing Appointment Utilization in Military Health Clinics
Content Presented on Behalf of
Navy
Services/Agencies represented
US Navy
Session Type
Posters
Room#/Location
Prince Georges Exhibit Hall A/B
Focus Areas/Topics
Clinical Care
Learning Outcomes
This project illustrates the tangible benefits of inter-clinic
collaboration and resource-sharing within the Military Health System. The initiative’s success
highlights the potential for broader application across the DHA system. It also suggests that
policy adjustments or enhanced training could encourage more clinics to adopt similar strategies,
leading to widespread improvements in patient care access and clinic efficiency across the
network. The insights gained from this project could serve as a valuable guide for future efforts
to optimize healthcare delivery in military settings.
Session Currently Live
Description
Background: Military health clinics often grapple with the dual challenges of high patient demand and limited provider availability, resulting in extended appointment wait times. Traditional methods to alleviate these issues, such as securing additional providers through conventional channels, proved ineffective. The situation took a pivotal turn when clinic managers attended a Defense Health Agency (DHA) Group Practice Management (GPM) Training in 2023. During this training, they discovered that resource-sharing within the same medical group was permitted—an opportunity previously unknown to their leadership. This revelation presented a new avenue for addressing the significant challenges faced by the clinics. Objectives: The initiative's primary objective was to enhance patient access to care by strategically sharing resources between clinics. A secondary objective aimed to reduce the number of unbooked appointments across the collaborating clinics, thereby improving overall clinic operations and efficiency. Methods: Armed with the insights gained from the DHA training, the clinic managers swiftly devised a collaborative plan to maximize available resources. They identified that sharing unbooked appointment slots and provider resources could significantly boost both clinics' operational efficiency. The managers quickly developed and implemented the plan, utilizing the flexibility offered within the DHA framework to allocate resources to areas with the greatest need. The rollout of the collaboration was swift, with clear communication channels established to ensure smooth implementation and ongoing cooperation between the clinics, demonstrating the efficiency of the process. Results: The collaboration led to remarkable and immediate improvements. Patient access to care saw a dramatic enhancement, with appointment wait times reduced from over 64 days to less than two days within 90 days. Furthermore, the clinic that had been plagued by a high number of un-booked appointments achieved a 72% reduction in these unutilized slots, indicating a more effective use of available resources. The rapid realization of these results underscored the efficacy of the collaborative approach and highlighted its potential for addressing similar challenges in other settings. Conclusion: The success of the collaboration between the Military Health Clinics demonstrates the profound impact of inter-clinic resource-sharing on enhancing access to care and optimizing resource utilization.