title: Shorter Perceived Outpatient MRI Wait Times Associated With Higher Patient Satisfaction.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to assess differences in perceived versus actual wait times among patients undergoing outpatient MRI examinations and to correlate those times with patient satisfaction.
  
  
  METHODS
  Over 15 weeks, 190 patients presenting for outpatient MR in a radiology department in which "patient experience" is one of the stated strategic priorities were asked to (1) estimate their wait times for various stages in the imaging process and (2) state their satisfaction with their imaging experience. Perceived times were compared with actual electronic time stamps. Perceived and actual times were compared and correlated with standardized satisfaction scores using Kendall τ correlation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean actual wait time between patient arrival and examination start was 53.4 ± 33.8 min, whereas patients perceived a mean wait time of 27.8 ± 23.1 min, a statistically significant underestimation of 25.6 min (P < .001). Both shorter actual and perceived wait times at all points during patient encounters were correlated with higher satisfaction scores (P < .001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients undergoing outpatient MR examinations in an environment designed to optimize patient experience underestimated wait times at all points during their encounters. Shorter perceived and actual wait times were both correlated with higher satisfaction scores. As satisfaction surveys play a larger role in an environment of metric transparency and value-based payments, better understanding of such factors will be increasingly important.
authors.affiliation: Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia. Electronic address: anna.holbrook@emoryhealthcare.org.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Holbrook
authors.affiliation: Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Harold
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Glenn
authors.affiliation: Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Rabia
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mahmood
authors.affiliation: Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Qingpo
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.affiliation: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Duszak
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009937:Organizational Objectives; D010045:Outpatients; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010465:Perception; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014850:Waiting Lists
keywords: MRI; Wait times; patient satisfaction; quality metrics; value-based payments