Here are 12 findings — clinical and non-clinical — from two AAAHC Institute for Quality Improvement 2010 studies on colonoscopy. Sixty-nine organizations participated in the clinical study while 32 centers participated in the non-clinical study.
Procedure times (clinical)
1. The median pre-procedure time was 62 minutes (range 33 to 109). Organizations with the shortest times use processes such as preparing before the patient arrives and having enough staff to keep the patient moving through the procedure room.
2. The median discharge time was 30 minutes (range 20 – 81 minutes). Organizations with the shortest times attributed their results to the use of sedatives that allow patients to recover quickly, and attentive recovery room staff.
Patient outcomes (clinical)
3. 97 percent of patients were able to schedule their procedures as soon as they wanted.
4. 71 percent reported little or no discomfort during the pre-procedure bowel preparation.
5. 96 percent reported little or no discomfort during the procedure.
6. 99 percent said they would recommend the procedure to a friend.
Supplies, staffing and costs (non-clinical)
7. 94 percent of organizations standardize their colonoscopy supplies.
8. 75 percent are members of purchasing groups.
9. 94 percent have information technology systems, primarily for scheduling (97 percent) and billing (90 percent).
10. 53 percent have electronic medical records.
11. Overall costs per procedure range from $17 to $2,000 with a median of $293.50.
12. Organizations with low costs attributed it to a variety of factors, such as efficient coordination with physicians' offices, streamlined registration and patient education/communication.
To learn more about these studies and other ambulatory healthcare reports from the AAAHC Institute, visit www.aaahciqi.org.
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