CHERAW, South Carolina — When it comes to visiting their doctors’ office, most patients understand that time spent in the waiting room is a given. Regardless, longer appointment wait times in healthcare is a major source of dissatisfaction for patients. What if the waiting room could be skipped altogether?
The clinicians and support staff at McLeod Orthopaedics Cheraw have significantly improved the patient flow experience by eliminating the traditional waiting room. The original intent of this new “no waiting room” approach was to increase the safety of patients during the unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic.
“Our goal was to offer a safer alternative for patients who may be concerned about being potentially exposed while in closer proximity to other patients in the waiting area,” said Dr. Thomas DiStefano, McLeod orthopedic surgeon.
Patients are prepped via phone call before their scheduled appointment. Upon entering the clinic, patients are checked in and immediately taken back to gather any necessary information they would have otherwise completed while waiting in a group setting. If an x-ray is deemed necessary upon triage, the patient is directly taken to x-ray then to a patient room. If no x-ray is needed, patients go directly into a room to be seen by the provider.
According to Dr. DiStefano, safety is not the only benefit coming out of the practice revamp in Cheraw. Improvement work was also conducted on other points of congestion that were previous obstacles for achieving optimal patient flow.
“We have committed to a stricter adherence to our schedule and a direct result of that work is greater access for new and existing patient appointments which translates into better convenience for patients,” said Dr. DiStefano. “Streamlining office organization and eliminating any unnecessary distractions has greatly reduced the time our patients have to physically spend in the office so they can focus on getting better.”
Dr. DiStefano says that the average total clinic time which is from time of check-in to time checked out is now less than 45 minutes.
“Not only is patient feedback on the new approach overwhelmingly positive but our team members are seeing the benefit of an improved work environment, boosted morale and enhanced cooperation within the practice,” said Dr. DiStefano. “We are working together to better serve our patients who entrust us with their care.”
For questions or to schedule an appointment at McLeod Orthopaedics Cheraw, please call 843-537-0010. The office is located across the street from the hospital at 710 Chesterfield Hwy., Cheraw, SC.