Background
Launched in 2011, the Patient Access Symposium was the result of leaders in academic ambulatory care wanting to network with one another about access. While performing research for “Mastering Patient Flow: 4th Edition,” the author – Elizabeth Woodcock – reached out to colleagues for their perspective. These interviews became the source of the original Patient Access Report, and the colleagues were the first participants in the community of access leaders.
The inaugural Patient Access Symposium was held on May 19, 2011, drawing attendance from nearly 20 academic health systems. Participants appreciated the ability to be in a discussion-based forum, basing the moderation of the event off of the interviews that had been conducted in the fall. Elizabeth recognized that the key to success was not only to create a series of speakers to lecture on relevant topics, but to truly understand the initiatives at each institution and encourage participants to share that information in an open format. An annual learning event was held each spring, with a separate program for children's hospital access leaders launching in 2017 held annually in September. In the fall of 2018, the Patient Access Symposium changed its name to the Patient Access Collaborative, reflecting who we had truly become. Over the years, the community has grown, however, we still appreciate the opportunity to engage in person for our annual symposium.
The Patient Access Collaborative has had the great fortune of having incredible host institutions year after year. They bring passion for improvement to each event and provide unparalleled knowledge and expertise. Our hosts include:
2011
Host Institution: Duke University Medical Center
2012
Host Institution: The Emory Clinic
2013
Host Institution: Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Awards of Excellence in Patient Access: Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation, Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the University of Utah Health Care.
The results of the first benchmarking study were also presented.
2014
Host institution: The University of Utah Health Care
Awards of Excellence in Patient Access: Mayo Clinic, Stanford Hospital & Clinics and the University of Alabama Birmingham Health Care.
Pre-conference program included all of the latest in "lean" design and operations.
2015
Host institution: University of Alabama Birmingham Medicine
Awards of Excellence in Patient Access: The Emory Clinic, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and Geisinger Medical Center.
2016
Host institution: University of Washington Medicine
Awards of Excellence in Patient Access: Johns Hopkins Medicine, Henry Ford Health System, and UW Medicine.
Highlights included workshops on call center management, ambulatory operations and capacity management.
2017
Host institution: The Mayo Clinic
Awards of Excellence in Patient Access: Indiana University Health Physicians, the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, and Rush University Medical Group.
Featured sessions included Predictive Analytics and an Executive Roundtable, as well as access-related solutions in a popular information system.
Host Institution for inaugural Children' Hospital Access Collaborative: Boston Children's Hospital
2018
Host institution: Indiana University Health
Awards of Excellence in Patient Access: The University of Iowa Physicians, Duke Health, and UMass Memorial Healthcare.
Host Institution for Children's Hospital Access Collaborative: Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
2019
Host Institution: University of Kentucky HealthCare
Awards of Excellence in Patient Access: UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, UT Southwestern Medical Center, University of Kentucky HealthCare
Gable Award Winner: UK HealthCare in recognition of Lori Bruelheide
Host Institution for Children's Hospital Access Collaborative: Texas Children's Hospital
2022
Host Institutions: University of Colorado Health and University of Colorado School of Medicine
Gable Award winners: Brian Smith, MHA, Senior Associate Dean for Administration and Finance, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Executive Director, CU Medicine; Gary Henry, VP of Patient Line, UCHealth
2023
Host Institution: Michigan State University Health Care
Gable Award winner: Seth Ciabotti, Chief Executive Officer, MSU Health Care
Karen Layher Award winner: Tia Rooney, Director, Ambulatory Operations and Strategic Initiatives Seattle Children's Hospital
2024
Host Institution: Emory Healthcare
Gable Award Winner: Sarah Kier, Senior Vice President of Enterprise Patient Access, Emory Healthcare
Karen Layher Award winners: Greg Addicott, MSN, RN, CCRN, Director of Nursing, Consumer Experience & Access, NewYork Presbyterian and Michelle Winfield-Hanrahan, RN, BSN, MHA, MSN, Chief Clinical Access Officer, Assistant Vice Chancellor, Access, Senior Nursing Director, Cancer Institute, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
2025
To be determined
2026
Host Institution: Ohio State University (OSU) Physicians and OSU Wexner Medical Center