Choosing and booking—and attending? Impact of an electronic booking system on outpatient referrals and non‐attendances. (4th August 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Dusheiko, Mark; Gravelle, Hugh
• Is Part Of: Health economics. Volume 27:Number 2(2018)
• Page Start: 357
• Page End: 371
• Publication Date: 2017-08-04
• Subjects: gatekeeping -- general practice -- non‐attendance -- outpatients -- referrals; Medical economics -- Periodicals; Economics, Medical -- Periodicals; Health Care Costs -- Periodicals; Health Policy -- economics -- Periodicals; Health Services -- economics -- Periodicals; 362.1
• DOI: 10.1002/hec.3552
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1057-9230

Abstract

Abstract: Patient non‐attendance can lead to worse health outcomes and longer waiting times. In the English National Health Service, around 7% of patients who are referred by their general practice for a hospital outpatient appointment fail to attend. An electronic booking system (Choose and Book—C&B) for general practices making hospital outpatient appointments was introduced in England in 2005 and by 2009 accounted for 50% of appointments. It was intended, inter alia, to reduce the rate of non‐attendance. Using a 2004–2009 panel with 7, 900 English general practices, allowing for the relaxation of constraints on patient of hospital, and for the potential endogeneity of use of C&B, we estimate that the introduction of C&B reduced non‐attendance by referred patients in 2009 by 72, 160 (8.7%).