PTHA tries something new with walk-ins

By Jennifer Johnson-Joefield

For Puyallup Tribal News
Published on: June 12, 2008

If you are a patient at the medical clinic, you are familiar with the walk-in or same day appointments. For the last two months we have been testing a new system that is aimed at reducing our patient wait times. It is going well, so it is time to share the concept of the system with our patients. Walk-ins are still to be used for new health problems or sudden illness. Chronic or long standing health problems are to be handled by appointment.

 

- What’s changed with Walk-Ins?

We now tell patients an arrival time. When a patient is given an arrival time by phone or in person during triage they will not get seen before that arrival time. You need to be in the clinic at that arrival time in order to ensure being seen in a timely manner.

 

- Does that mean no more 2 hour waits, ever?

Unfortunately not, sometimes emergencies arise and there will be delays. We work hard to get back on schedule, but emergencies delay getting back to each patient. However, we have seen a decline in the wait time with this system. If you are more than 30 minutes late for an arrival time, you might have to wait longer or be seen the next day.

 

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