P78. The true penalty of the waiting room: the role of wait time in patient satisfaction in a busy spine practice

BACKGROUND CONTEXT Most clinics collect routine data on performance metrics on physicians for outpatient visits. However, the relationship between them and the patient experience is vague. PURPOSE The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Clinician and Group Survey (CG-CAHPS), the current standard evaluation of the patient experience, and new performance metrics we collected in order to understand the determinants of patient satisfaction and identify targets for improving the patient experience. STUDY DESIGN/SETTING Retrospective cohort study, single academic health system. OUTCOME MEASURES CG-CAHPS scores in 3 domains – global, access and communication. METHODS All spine surgeons in our academic health system were included and the following were retrospectively reviewed from a 15-month period: demographic data, average cycle times (time in minutes from check-in to check-out), waiting-room times (check-in to being roomed), in-room times (room placement to check-out), lead times (time in days from scheduling phone call to appointment), timely note closure, timely response to patient questions and patient volume (number of new and total patients per month). Kruskal Wallis tests and univariate and multivariate mixed model regression were used to determine the relationships between these covariates and the patient-reported outcomes as measured by CG-CAHPS in 3 domains – global, access and communication. RESULTS Twenty-two surgeons were included in the study. There were 27,090 visits. Male gender and no fellowship were independently associated with higher satisfaction in global ratings (p CONCLUSIONS Excessive waiting room time affects not only access scores but also significantly colors other dimensions of the patient experience and impacts perceived communication between patients and doctors. Understanding the complex relationship between the factors that inform the patient experience will help to target effective interventions to improve clinic efficiency and patient satisfaction. FDA DEVICE/DRUG STATUS This abstract does not discuss or include any applicable devices or drugs.