“We actually took the job of distributing patients out of physicians’ hands altogether,” Dr. McIlraith explained.
Under Central Coordination, patient assignments were coordinated by a clerical staffer who distributed them evenly among a team of six doctors.
“The most amazing thing was that after this was implemented we went back and looked at ER responsiveness, and our ability to respond to the needs of the ER improved dramatically,” he said. “That wasn’t even an outcome I intended to impact, or look at, but the data were unequivocal. It ended up being really enduring and substantial on many fronts.”
Mercy Medical Group still uses Central Coordination systemwide, and the results of Dr. McIlraith’s initiative were eventually published.
© Frontline Medical Communications 2018-2021. Reprinted with permission, all rights reserved.