In June, the VJHPS Working Group approved two new activities presented by Dr. Hamish Hwang.
The first, Centralized Booking pilot for Hernia Surgery, will look at reducing wait times for inguinal and umbilical hernia surgery by booking patients on OR slate of first available surgeon after consultation. This is an alternate approach to “centralized referral” to reduce surgical wait times. Inguinal and umbilical hernias account for one third of the elective surgeries at Vernon Jubilee Hospital.
The projected outcomes are to: reduce overall surgical wait times for hernia surgery; improve patient care by improving access to elective OR time; and improve the efficiency of limited available elective OR time.
The second activity, Centralized Booking Pilot for Endoscopy, will be a pilot study to see if wait times for colonoscopy can be reduced by reassigning patients after consultation to the first available endoscopist. This also an alternative to “centralized referral” processes.
The projected outcomes are to: improve overall wait times for colonoscopy at VJH; improve patient care by improving access to colonoscopy services, and optimize the use of endoscopy resources at VJH.
Both activities involved key participants from the medical staff and hospital administration and demonstrated the value of working together under the umbrella of the Facility Engagement Initiative.