"OPEN ACCESS" TO CLINIC

Dear Valued Patients:

OBFMC is proud to care for your family and appreciates the trust that you have placed in us. Our greatest priority is to provide the highest quality primary care to the community in the most efficient and cost-effective manner possible.

Over the years, we have been blessed with tremendous growth in patient numbers. With our growth, continuing to allow open walk-ins is leading to many unintended consequences. Among these consequences are increasing wait times, unpredictable demand, and difficulty delivering the high quality of care that you have come to expect from OBFMC.

We realize that you cannot “schedule” being sick and often need care the same day or within 24 hours. Our goal is to deliver full service, comprehensive, quality, efficient care to our patients while having the ability to care for our patients that need urgent care and do so when they need it. We also realize that our patients’ time is every bit as important as ours. So, our commitment to our patients is to manage our system and schedule to have adequate access for wellness and chronic disease care while also having access for urgent needs when necessary and to do all this efficiently, allowing you to get in, receive your care, and quickly get back to your life.

OBFMC will now be scheduling an appointment time for all needs based on the “open access” model. Patients are encouraged to call for an appointment time rather than walk in. This will allow us to manage our time and enhance quality. It will give you, the patient, a specific time to be seen with time set aside specifically for you. We will manage the schedule in such a way as to have same day access available each and every day. We will adjust this based on demand, cold and flu patterns, etc. You will be able to book a same day appointment for any reason (wellness exam, follow up, sick visit, etc.). You will still be able to schedule follow-up appointments as you are leaving the clinic. We will still offer walk-in blood pressure checks, follow up labs, immunizations/injections, etc.

Benefits to this “open-access appointment” model are less crowded waiting rooms (less spread of infection), quieter/smoother running environment, quick patient cycle time (time in to time out), less “bottle necks” and more comprehensive care provided during each visit. Plus, you are able to rest in the comfort of your home, work, or care for children until the time of your appointment instead of waiting in a crowded waiting area.

Finally, we will be asking you to “identify” with a specific provider who will then become your primary continuity provider. Whenever possible, you will be scheduled with this provider (whether for routine or urgent care). Again, having “your provider” that you see most of the time is much more satisfying to both patient and provider and enhances quality and efficiency beyond measure. It is important to note that OBFMC is composed of family physicians and nurse practitioners (FNPs). FNPs have extensive clinical training and always operate under the direct supervision and protocols of the physicians at OBFMC. Therefore, whether your continuity provider is a physician or FNP, you will be receiving the same “comprehensive” care.

We hope that you are as excited about this change as we are and know that you will be even more pleased with your service and care here. Again, we are so blessed to have cared for all of our families and Desoto County for over 18 years!

Be safe. Be well. God bless.
Olive Branch Family Medical Center