Understanding our current state of access to care

Session
Academic

Authors
Michelle Taveras
Director
Physician Logistics
University of Miami

Vincent Omachonu
Professor
Industrial Engineering
University of Miami

Description
The session will describe all techniques used over the last 20 years in defining access to care. This particular session will provide health care managers and providers with a state-of-the-art access to care matrix, ideas on how to reduce patient wait times into health care systems, address challenges in the access to care of chronic diseases, and lay the groundwork for innovative approaches in access to care.

Abstract
To understand where health care access is going, we must be able to interpret where it has been in the last 20 years. Access to care is a diverse topic that touches hospital and health care facility operations, as well as political issues like poverty and health care inequality. This paper will present the access to care research in an understandable and simple approach. It will focus on describing the historical trends of access to care methodologies that have proven to work in other institutions. The access to care matrix will help users identify ways to increase access, ideas to help address access issues for chronic care patients (i.e. diabetes), and a way to understand the effects of new technology on access to care.