The Athens District Family Health Team (FHT), located within the South East LHIN, serves 3,500 rostered and 300 unrostered patients. In November 2008, the team was experiencing a wait time of 27 days, as measured by the time to the third next available appointment. As a result, the registered nurse had to do telephone triage to fit patients into an already doublebooked schedule or offer telephone advice. Long wait times meant the practice’s receptionists also experienced stress, fielding a steady stream of calls from anxious patients (OHQC Quality Monitor, 2010).
The Athens District FHT was one of the featured success stories in the 2010 Ontario Health Quality Council Yearly Report - read more to learn about how they were able to address their wait time challenges.