Press Releases

Share This Press Release

NuHealth/LIFQHC Family Medicine Residency Program Collaborates on JAOA Article Reducing Patient No-Shows: An Initiative at an Integrated Care Teaching Health Center.

Victor F. Politi, MD, FACP, FACEP                                         Michael B. Mirotznik, Esq.,

President/CEO                                                                             Chairman Board of Directors

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 17, 2017

 

PRESS CONTACT:

Shelley Lotenberg

shelley@numc.edu

516-572-6055

 

East Meadow, NY………..Victor F. Politi, MD, FACP, FACEP, NuHealth/NUMC’s President/CEO, announces that the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association (JAOA) has accepted for publication an article written by the NuHealth/Long Island Federally Qualified Health Center, Inc., the Behavioral Health Department and the Family Medicine Residency Program at the Elmont Health Center. The article, entitled “Reducing Patient No-Shows: An Initiative at an Integrated Care Teaching Health Center”, evaluated a two-phase intervention to reduce no-show rates, implemented at an integrated care community health center in Elmont, incorporating a teaching program for Osteopathic Family Medicine residents. The patient no-show rate is a significant factor impeding the effectiveness and efficiency of the healthcare services delivery. The Elmont Teaching Health Center (ETHC)  is one of five community-based health centers comprising the Long Island Federally Qualified Health Centers. This study looked at the impact of one intervention comprising of teamwork, task orientation, patient focus and feedback, and buy-in from all the members of the health center team. The study found a steeper decline in no-show rates post-intervention for a health center as compared to its performance pre-intervention during the year, as well as tracked against the previous year’s data.

JAOA is the official scientific publication of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) and the premier peer-reviewed, indexed, scholarly publication of the osteopathic medical profession. It provides a forum for communicating research findings, clinical practice observations, philosophic concepts, and other biomedical advances. This research has been reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board of Nassau University Medical Center. •

“The need for reducing patient no-show rates in health care is an undeniable factor in both maximizing the productivity of services as well as ensuring that patient outcomes and satisfaction attain high standards. This is a perfect example of collaboration between Family Medicine Residents and Behavioral Health practitioners, working together to reduce no-shows and increase access to care, all leading to improved care, efficiencies and reduced costs,” stated Dr. Politi.

In August 2015, ETHC implemented a center-wide No-Show Rates Reduction Initiative divided into an assessment and implementation phase. The assessment phase identified reasons most frequently cited by patients for no-shows at ETHC. Findings support that a two-phase intervention implemented at in one health center within a larger health care organization successfully reduced no-show rates. The reduction of no-show rates plays an important role in providing high quality integrated community-based health care

Dr. Guiney indicated: “Congratulations Dr. Ashwin Mehra and the rest of the team (Hoogendoorn, C., Haggerty, G., Engelthaler, J., Gooden, S., Joseph, M., Carroll, S. and Guiney, P.) on this wonderful achievement and an excellent example of interdisciplinary scholarly collaboration! Thank you all once again for all your contributions on this paper!

ABOUT NUHEALTH
NuHealth is a Long Island health care organization delivering essential medical care and disease and lifestyle management to everyone at every stage of life.  Also known as Nassau Health Care Corporation, NuHealth is a public benefit corporation managing the operations of Nassau Medical Center, A. Holly Patterson Extended Care and a network of Family Health Centers that bring primary and specialty care out into the community.  By emphasizing wellness, cultural sensitivity and collaborative efforts with the North Shore-LIJ Health System, NuHealth is working to make good care more affordable and easier to access.

For more information about NuHealth or its Centers of Care, visit www.nuhealth.net.