Neil H. Baum, MD, presented “Seeing Your Last Patient On Time” for the Grand Rounds in Urology audience in May 2021.
How to cite: Baum, Neil H. “Seeing Your Last Patient On Time” May 2021. Accessed Jul 2024. https://grandroundsinurology.com/seeing-your-last-patient-on-time/
Summary:
Grand Rounds in Urology Contributing Editor Neil H. Baum, MD, Professor of Urology at Tulane Medical School, discusses scheduling in a urology practice, with the goal of seeing the last patient on time. He provides six suggestions for maintaining on-time appointments. Dr. Baum stresses the importance of doing so by noting that sitting in the waiting room or exam room for a long time can increase patient anxiety and reduce their overall satisfaction. For the practice, delayed appointments create stress for staff and can increase overtime expenses. Dr. Baum suggests physicians rethink the “waiting area” as the “reception area,” and encourages physicians to make a commitment to be on time each day. He also recommends managing appointment types based on the estimated time each will take. Follow-up visits to check BPH or testosterone deficiency may only require five minutes, but a new patient or new diagnosis is likely to require a 30-minute appointment. Dr. Baum adds that doctors should not accept meetings with pharmaceutical representatives or vendors while patients are present, nor is it acceptable to make or accept phone calls while in the exam room with a patient. Finally, he notes the value of rewarding staff if they help manage an efficient schedule.
For more commentary on practice management and telemedicine from Dr. Baum, visit his Improving Your Urology Practice page.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neil H. Baum, MD, is a Clinical Professor of Urology at Tulane Medical School in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is also a retired urologic surgeon. Additionally, Dr. Baum serves as the Medical Advisor to Vanguard Communications Group. Dr. Baum is the author of Marketing Your Clinical Practice - Ethically, Effectively, and Economically, which is in its 4th edition, has sold over 175,000 copies, and has been translated into Spanish. He also wrote The Complete Business Guide to a Successful Medical Practice, which was published in 2015. Dr. Baum was the columnist for American Medical News for more than 25 years. Dr. Baum also wrote the popular column, “The Bottom Line,” for Urology Times for more than 20 years. He is a requested speaker each year to the Practice Management Seminar for the American Urological Association (AUA), where he discusses techniques for making urology practices more efficient and more productive. He has written more than 9 books on practice management and over 250 peer-reviewed articles on various urologic topics. Dr. Baum is also the medical advisor to Vanguard Communications Group.
