Reduce Waiting Time to Assessment

These promising practices help reduce the waiting time from first contact to assessment.

Question

How will we know a change rapidly reduces the waiting time to assessment?

Answer

There are two ways to know whether the waiting time for assessment has decreased.

1. The number of days until the next available appointment for an assessment will decrease. Use the Next Available Appointment Tracking Spreadsheet . This option is easier and less costly.
2. The average number of days from first contact to assessment will decrease. Use the NIATx Outpatient Spreadsheet (Instructions ) or the NIATx Residential Spreadsheet (Instructions ), depending on the level of care. This option is more accurate, but also usually more time-consuming and more costly.

Promising Practices

Learn what others have done, how they did it, lessons from the field, and how to test each promising practice using rapid PDSA cycles.

Use the following promising practices as inspiration for change in your organization—re-invent them, improve on them and be creative—and let us know what happens so that we can continue to enrich and expand the library of change ideas available to the entire NIA

Promising practices to reduce waiting time fall into two categories:

Create Capacity using Existing Resources

• Eliminate Excessive Paperwork
• Centralize Appointment Scheduling
• Establish Walk-in Hours
• Cross-train Counselors and Assign Backups for Assessments
• Re-assign Non-clinical Tasks Performed by Clinicians
• Offer More Groups Instead of Individual Sessions
• Double-book Time Slots
• Use All Time Slots Including Special Use Time Slots

Reduce Delays

• Screen Callers Live on First Call
• Making Appointments during the First Call
• Combine Multiple Intake and Assessment Appointments
• Adjust Staff Schedules to Meet Client Demand
• Schedule the First Appointment before Researching Financial Arrangements
• Refer Clients Elsewhere