Decreasing Unexpected Returns to Orthopedic Hand Clinic: Improving Efficiency of Health Care Delivery

PURPOSE: An unexpected return to clinic (URTC) visit can place a substantial financial burden on patients and families while stressing the health care system. Our SMART aim was to decrease the rate of URTC visits from 1.8 per 100 patient follow-up visits by 50% using quality improvement methodology. METHODS: The rate of URTC visits was tracked at our tertiary care pediatric hospital from February 1, 2014, to May 31, 2015, using a weekly P-chart. Interventions were studied from January 1 to May 31, 2015. Pareto charts determined the common causes of URTC visits. Interventions were studied using Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles. Medical charges for URTC patient visits were collected and patients/families were given a cost survey to determine nonmedical costs associated with the clinic visits. RESULTS: Cast issues (50.5%) were most common, followed by new symptom/complaints (29.5%), and persistent or worse symptoms (15.2%). Following interventions, URTC rates decreased from 1.8 to 0.7 (⇓62%) per 100 follow-up visits during the study period. Interventions were targeted toward cast use and improved patient education via standardized materials. The average URTC resulted in $350.38 of charges. Additionally, the average URTC cost families $70 for a half day of lost wages and travel expenses. DISCUSSION: Applying quality improvement methodology to URTC visits by standardizing patient education and minimizing cast usage resulted in a substantial decrease in the number of patients returning to clinic, both for scheduled follow-ups and unexpectedly. This improvement resulted in a savings of more than $420 per visit saved, including medical and nonmedical costs.