Reduce Waiting Time for Treatment

These promising practices help reduce the waiting time between assessment and the first treatment session.

Question

How will we rapidly know a change reduces waiting time to the first treatment session?

Answer

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

1. The number of days until the next available appointment for the first treatment session will decrease. Use the Next Available Appointment Tracking Spreadsheet to track basline and rapid-cycle change data. This option is easier and less costly.
2. The average number of days from assessment to the first treatment session 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 NIATx network.

Promising practices to reduce waiting time to the first treatment fall into two categories:

Create Capacity using Existing Resources

• Eliminate Excessive Paperwork
• Centralize Appointment Scheduling
• Re-assign Non-clinical Tasks Performed by Clinicians
• Transition Clients to the Next Level of Care as Soon as They are Ready
• Offer More Groups Instead of Individual Sessions
• Offer Groups that Remain Open to New Members
• Add Beds or Provide Housing (Residential)

Reduce Delays

• Use Instant Urine Tests
• Combine Multiple Intake and Assessment Appointments
• Adjust Staff Schedules to Meet Client Demand
• Offer Help while on the Waiting List (Residential)
• Refer Clients Elsewhere