Study to Determine the Optimal Method of Scheduling Radiological Examinations during the Electrical-Mechanical Upgrade Project at Munson Army Community Hospital.

摘要

The demand for radiological examinations at Munson Army Community Hospital (MACH), Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, routinely exceeds the capacity of the Radiology Department because of an insufficient number of functional examination rooms. Patients and physicians complain about excessive waiting times for x-rays. Large backlogs of requests for fluoroscopic and other special radiological examinations are common. Scheduled appointments for these examinations are often booked for more than a month in advance. A new scheduling policy was initiated in October 1985 in an effort to hold the backlog of examination requests to an acceptable level. Physicians requesting examinations are to designate the maximum time the patient can wait for an appointment. If an appointment is not available within that time period, the patient is automatically sent to another hospital--usually the Veterans Administration Medical Center (VAMC) in Leavenworth or the Kansas University Medical Center (KUMC) in Kansas City--to undergo the examination. MACH pays for these examinations with Supplemental Care funds. (RH)