Implementation of the Acute Care Clinic Easy Scheduling System at the Brooke Army Medical Center

Abstract

ABSTRACT Introduction Emergency departments (EDs) have continued to struggle with overcrowding, causing delays in patient care and increasing stress on the medical staff and resources. This was further illustrated during the recent coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, where we saw large unpredictable surges to the ED as hospitals tried to meet the medical needs of patients while trying to minimize the spread of coronavirus disease. A previous study from the Department of Emergency at the Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) found that nearly half of the patients presenting to the ED could have been managed in a primary care setting. We sought to pilot an alternate appointment scheduling system, Acute Care Clinic Easy Scheduling System, to allow patients to see and book available appointments while waiting in the ED waiting room. Materials and Methods Our appointment display system was created through collaboration with the BAMC Information Management Division. A Tableau data interface connects to the Composite Health Care System to view available primary appointments across the San Antonio Military Health Care System. These are displayed in real-time on multiple TV screens outside the ED and in the ED waiting room. Patients were provided signage that provides a way to call or use a World Wide Web–based interface to immediately schedule the open appointments within the next 48 hours. Patients voluntarily opted to use this system and may opt to leave the ED if another appointment became available within an acceptable time frame to them. Results This section is not applicable to this article. Conclusions Expansion of the Acute Care Clinic Easy Scheduling System within the Military Health Care System may (1) help reduce ED crowding, (2) improve access to care through a live-tracking system that patients can review and select from, and (3) reduce the number of unfilled primary care appointments. The system in place in the BAMC ED serves as a template for other MTFs to use.