The study, published in JAMA Network Open, analyzed more than 39 million completed appointments by more than 5 million VA patients using data from 130 VA clinics across the country.
They found that use of the electronic reminder system was associated with a reduction in wait time for an appointment of almost a week, at six and a half days. This suggests that this technology can improve patient access, thus also improving health delivery.
However, when a patient didn’t show up for an appointment or canceled it, they were associated with an increased wait time until their next appointment of eight and a half days. The researchers suggested this may be down to the efficiency of the reminder system in reducing cancellations, meaning that when a patient does want to reschedule, there are fewer slots available.
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