Mofitt Medical Group

Moffitt Cancer Center

With 22 outpatient clinics, the Moffitt Medical Group (MMG), based at the Moffitt Cancer Center, is Florida’s largest multidisciplinary medical group practice dedicated to cancer care.

Because MMG provides cancer care to thousands of patients, dissatisfaction about access for new patients reflected in Press Ganey surveys was an important finding. The survey data was shared with the Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC) and phone and in-person interviews were conducted with both new and ongoing patients. From the interviews, they learned that patients wanted to talk to an actual person and be scheduled at the time of their first call. To ensure this message was being heard, the project was named, “Patients First.”

An improvement team, including an employee who is a cancer survivor, explored possible solutions. Moffitt then piloted a new approach in one clinic. Staff generated a list of questions to create an algorithm and members of the PFAC provided feedback; they also sought input from current patients about the wording of the questions. This process has been repeated in six MMG clinics to date.

There are already indications this work is making a difference to MMG patients:

  • Press Ganey scores for patient satisfaction showed a 1.5% increase.
  • 79% of patients calling for the first time had an appointment scheduled the same day (baseline was 21%).
  • Breast cancer appointments scheduled within 7 days of an initial call improved from 18% to 25%

Improving access to ambulatory care services also saves lives. Because of MMG’s new scheduling process, a scheduler emailed Dr. Timothy Kubal to seek guidance about a patient on the phone. Kubal reports, “We brought her in within two hours of her initial call and she was in the hospital and diagnosed within 7-8 hours. A couple more days of waiting and she would have died.”