Aspirus Physician Practice and Clinics (“Aspirus”) is the medical group operated by the Aspirus system, a non-profit, community-directed Wisconsin health system. Aspirus network membership includes more than 300 physicians and 75 Advanced Practice Providers, 8 hospitals and 48 specialties. In 2013, Aspirus was losing money, and patient access issues hurt the bottom line. Although Aspirus added 50 providers over five years, it took some patients as long as four months to get an appointment.
Aspirus and Prism established project teams to identify underlying problems, including poor scheduling practices, inconsistent patient interaction and little patient sharing among same specialty providers. Scheduling requirements varied dramatically by provider, with some preconditions as long as 30 pages to book a single appointment. The teams also found documentation and charge capture opportunities.Prism and Aspirus implemented a number of initiatives to increase efficiency and boost revenues, all while improving patient care and satisfaction. Initiatives included:
Within 12 months, Aspirus increased patient access, improved patient throughput and decreased the cost per visit.
“Working with Prism, Aspirus Clinics elevated patient satisfaction and achieved over $6.5 million in additional annual revenues.”
Dean Danner, President, Aspirus Clinics, Inc.