As patient satisfaction becomes tied to provider reimbursement, a study in the Journal of Patient Experience looked at how wait times impact patient satisfaction in an orthopedic clinic.
Here's what you should know.
1. Researchers conducted a retrospective analysis of patient survey data from an orthopedic clinic between June 2011 and October 2014.
2. The researchers examined 3,125 responses for satisfaction and 3,151 responses of patients recommending the practice.
3. Of these responses the mean wait time was 27.3 ± 11.3 minutes.
4. The likelihood of obtaining an excellent or a very good rating correlated with the wait time in 15 minute intervals.
The likelihood of patients "agreeing" or "strongly agreeing" showed no correlation.
5. The researchers concluded that although minimizing wait times can improve patient satisfaction it had no effect on patients recommending the practice to others.
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