ReportTitle:
Effects of Rescheduling onPatient No-Show Behavior in Outpatient Clinics
Reporter(Institution):
Jingui Xie
Time:10:00.am,26th Apr,2018
Location:B-201,Building of Economics & Management, Jiulonghu Campus
Abstract:
We study the effects of rescheduling on no-show behavior inan outpatient appointment system for both new and follow-up patients. Previousliterature has primarily focused on new patients and investigated the role ofwaiting time on no-show probability. We offer a more nuanced understanding ofthis costly phenomenon. Using comprehensive clinical data, we demonstrate thatfor follow-up patients, their no-show probability decreases by 10.9 percentagepoints if their appointments were rescheduled at their own request, butincreases by 6.2 percentage points if they were rescheduled by the clinic. Newpatients, in contrast, are less sensitive to who initiates rescheduling. Theirno-show probability decreases by 2.3 percentage points if their appointmentswere rescheduled at their own request, and increases by 3.2 percentage points--- but is statistically insignificant at the 10% level --- if they wererescheduled by the clinic. New patients are more concerned about waiting timecompared to follow-up patients. For patients whose appointments were notrescheduled, new patients' no show probability decreases by 1.3 percentagepoints if their waiting time is reduced by one week, but the waiting time has asmall and statistically insignificant effect on follow-up patients' no showprobability. Using data-driven simulation, we conduct counterfactualinvestigation of the impact of allowing active rescheduling on the performanceof appointment systems. In particular, allowing the flexibility of patientrescheduling can reduce the overall no-show rate and increase systemutilization, but at a cost of increased wait time for new patients. If patientsare able to reschedule at least one week in advance, new patients' wait time islargely reduced, while the no-show rate remains the same; this is equivalent tothe effect of a 5% increase in clinic's capacity.
Reporter:
Dr. Jingui Xie is an associate professor in the School ofManagement, University of Science and Technology of China (USTC). Prior tojoining USTC, he was a Research Fellow at National University of Singapore(NUS), a Chazen Research Scholar at Columbia Business School. He received aPh.D. in Management Science and Engineering from Tsinghua University. Hespecializes in healthcare management. His works have been published inManufacturing & Service Operations Management, IEEE Transactions onAutomatic Control, Naval Research Logistics, Queueing Systems, OperationsResearch Letters, International Journal of Production Research, Annals ofOperations Research, Flexible Services and Manufacturing Journal, Epidemiologyand Infectious. He is an ad hoc reviewer of many international journals. He isa member of Institute for Operations Research and Management Sciences(INFORMS). He is the director of USTC Health Service Research Centre(http://bs.ustc.edu.cn/hsrc/).
