​Thanks in part to social media, patients are speaking out more frequently about long delays in waiting rooms, according to a July 1, 2017, article in the Boston Globe. A woman waits for an hour and a half in the waiting room of an eye and ear specialty hospital, only to eventually be transferred to a "sub waiting room." Another misses her ride home from the clinic and has to wait four hours for another. Still another patient returns a fundraising letter from the clinic, writing, "Not until you give me better service." The long wait is "elder abuse," another fumes. The author of the article complained to her ophthalmologist, the clinic's patient relations specialist, its associate director of ophthalmology, her insurance company, Medicare, and the state department of public health. This particular institution has responded to patient complaints about long wait times by hiring a full-time "patient flow coordinator" for the busiest clinics. The coordinator's job is to learn why, for example, if a patient is scheduled for a 2 p.m. appointment, he or has not yet been seen at 2:20. However, many organizations remain reluctant to recognize this issue. Addressing wait times could hurt providers financially, the article noted, explaining that some practices may overbook the way airlines overbook flights, to compensate for "no shows." When everyone shows up, the result "may be chaos," noted a chief medical officer quoted in the article. The "long-term negative impact of any one unhappy, angry, and frustrated patient," one expert quoted said, "far outweighs the short-term gain." One hospital provides patients with a chip to track their movements and determine how long they spend in each area of hospital. The hospital was able to reduce wait time for blood tests by adding more staff during busy times. In another hospital, a staff member "rounds" in the waiting room every 20 to 30 minutes and takes down phone numbers so that patients can leave to get coffee or a snack. "It's about treating patients and families with respect and dignity," a spokesperson for one of the hospitals told the Globe.

HRC Recommends: Healthcare organizations are exposed not only to risks related to direct patient care and treatment but also to risks associated with administration and operations. Understanding and controlling administrative risk is an important aspect of successful risk management practices in healthcare. Executive leadership must plan and provide for sufficient trained staff and the resources needed to safely provide care, treatment, and services to the typical volume of patients.