Biomaterial Database

Modernizing the Otolaryngology Referral Workflow: The Impact of Electronic Consultation. 2021

Eliezer C Kinberg, and Diana N Kirke, and Samuel J Trosman

Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, U.S.A.

To determine the impact of electronic consultation on the otolaryngology clinic workflow at our high-volume public hospital. Retrospective Observational Study. This is a retrospective observational analysis study. Operational data regarding clinic volume, referral patterns, and scheduling efficiency were assessed over a 9-month period in 2018 prior to implementation of electronic consultation. The same data were collected for the 9-month period immediately following implementation of electronic consultation in 2019. During the pre-implementation (pre-EC) period, 3,243 otolaryngology referrals were made as compared to 4,249 post-implementation (post-EC). 86% of referrals were scheduled for a clinic appointment pre-EC, compared to 61% post-EC (P < .00001) 24.5% of patients were evaluated within 30 days pre-EC compared to 53.6% post-EC (P < .00001). The average time to be seen by an otolaryngology provider declined from 60.8 days pre-EC to 42.8 days post-EC (P = .0029). There was a 50% decline in the percentage of appointments canceled by patients in the post-EC period as compared to pre-EC. In our experience, implementation of electronic consultation significantly reduced both wait times for a clinic appointment and the percentage of no-show or canceled appointments. Electronic consultation may be a valuable tool in improving the efficiency and yield of the modern otolaryngology clinic. 4 Laryngoscope, 131:E1792-E1796, 2021.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D009519	New York City	City located at the mouth of the Hudson River, in New York State.
D010036	Otolaryngology	A surgical specialty concerned with the study and treatment of disorders of the ear, nose, and throat.	Otology,Otorhinolaryngology,Laryngology
D006779	Hospitals, Public	Hospitals controlled by various types of government, i.e., city, county, district, state or federal.	Public Hospitals,Hospital, Public,Public Hospital
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D001071	Appointments and Schedules	The different methods of scheduling patient visits, appointment systems, individual or group appointments, waiting times, waiting lists for hospitals, walk-in clinics, etc.	Patient Appointments,Patient Schedules,Schedules, Patient,Appointments,Schedules,Appointment,Appointment, Patient,Appointments, Patient,Patient Appointment,Patient Schedule,Schedule,Schedule, Patient,Schedules and Appointments
D012189	Retrospective Studies	Studies used to test etiologic hypotheses in which inferences about an exposure to putative causal factors are derived from data relating to characteristics of persons under study or to events or experiences in their past. The essential feature is that some of the persons under study have the disease or outcome of interest and their characteristics are compared with those of unaffected persons.	Retrospective Study,Studies, Retrospective,Study, Retrospective
D013997	Time Factors	Elements of limited time intervals, contributing to particular results or situations.	Time Series,Factor, Time,Time Factor
D017598	Efficiency, Organizational	The capacity of an organization, institution, or business to produce desired results with a minimum expenditure of energy, time, money, personnel, material, etc.	Efficiency, Administrative,Productivity, Organizational,Program Efficiency,Administrative Efficiency,Organizational Productivity,Efficiency, Program,Organizational Efficiency,Program Efficiencies
D057188	Workflow	Description of pattern of recurrent functions or procedures frequently found in organizational processes, such as notification, decision, and action.	Work Flow,Work Flows,Workflows
D057286	Electronic Health Records	Media that facilitate transportability of pertinent information concerning patient's illness across varied providers and geographic locations. Some versions include direct linkages to online CONSUMER HEALTH INFORMATION that is relevant to the health conditions and treatments related to a specific patient.	Electronic Health Record Data,Electronic Medical Record,Electronic Medical Records,Computerized Medical Record,Computerized Medical Records,Electronic Health Record,Medical Record, Computerized,Medical Records, Computerized,Health Record, Electronic,Health Records, Electronic,Medical Record, Electronic,Medical Records, Electronic