Shorter Wait Times and Efficient Triage for Cancer Patients

To get cancer patients the care they need as quickly as possible, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center improved their scheduling process for oncology appointments using Fast Pass and a decision tree in Epic.

The Fast Pass feature in Epic sends a patient an email or text message when an earlier spot on the wait list opens, and the patient can use MyChart to claim that open slot. Nine months after Ohio State implemented Fast Pass, cancer patients were seen an average of 33 days sooner.

To guide schedulers through the complex protocols around scheduling oncology appointments, Ohio State created a dynamic decision tree in Epic that uses patients’ past data. Schedulers now spend less time asking patients questions and looking through their charts for previously documented information. Based on the patient’s diagnosis, the decision tree recommends how to triage the patient, notifying schedulers of patients who need to be prioritized due to their high disease acuity.

The decision tree also improved the financial assistance process by showing schedulers whether a patient’s health insurance is out of Ohio State’s network. Schedulers set up a phone call with a financial counselor to make sure out-of-network patients know their options and receive financial guidance before coming in for their appointment, increasing patient satisfaction.

Epic community members can learn more from Ohio State’s XGM slides and audio.