Strategies for Improving Access in Academic Neurology

Neurologic disorders, now a leading cause of disease burden globally, have further added to the growing concerns of access to care, especially given the anticipated 19% shortfall of neurologists. There is a pressing need to improve access and decrease appointment wait times. We led a departmental initiative to bridge the access gap. We focused on template management, leveraging advanced practice providers (APPs), and provision of timely access for new patients. Over 2 years, the total patient volume and the new patient volume increased by 34% and 32%, respectively. Visits per clinic session grew by 21% for APPs. The number of new patients seen within 10 days grew from 19% to 42% (123% increase) for internal referrals and from 21% to 43% (100% increase) for all referrals. This article reviews our strategies in improving patient access.