title: Electronic access to care system: improving patient's access to clinical information through an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system and Web portal.
abstract: Our clinical providers spend an estimated four hours weekly answering phone messages from patients. Our nurses spend five to ten hours weekly on returning phone calls. Most of this time is spent conveying recent clinical results, reviewing with patients the discharge instructions such as consults or studies ordered during the office visits, and handling patients' requests for medication renewals. Over time this will lead to greater patients' dissatisfaction because of lengthy waiting time and lack of timely access to their medical information. This would also lead to greater nursing and providers' dissatisfaction because of unreasonable work load.
authors.affiliation: Madigan Army Medical Center, Fort Lewis, WA 98433, USA.
authors.forename: Nhan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Do
authors.forename: Andre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marinkovich
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Koisch
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wheeler
mesh_terms: D022126:Access to Information; D019411:Clinical Laboratory Techniques; D011307:Drug Prescriptions; D006751:Hospital Information Systems; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D016347:Medical Records Systems, Computerized; D010346:Patient Care Management / Q000458:organization & administration*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D049250:Speech Recognition Software