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Take the wait out of waiting room

Hospitalist Leadership Connection, December 19, 2007

Patients don't always have patience in a waiting room, but now, thanks to Robin Zee, a nurse from North Kingsville, OH, there is a solution. Zee, who has been an RN for 12 years, recently launched DoctorDelayed.com, a site aimed at reducing time in the waiting room and increasing patient satisfaction.

"I deal with a lot of physicians and some are just chronically late," says Zee. "I had listened to patients complain and complain, and I thought 'With so many people using the Internet now, instead of calling ahead, why not just go online?"

So that's what she did. A few months ago, Zee launched DoctorDelayed.com, which instantly brings patients into a virtual waiting room. Patients, at no charge, can go to the Web site and type in their physician's phone number and hit the "search" tab. If their physician participates, a screen will instantly come up showing them if the office is running on time or if there is a delay.

Zee also had nurses in mind when creating her Web site. "They have to listen to patients when they are frustrated and upset, which affects patient care," she says. "This will help to make [the experience] more pleasant for the patient and help the office run smoother."

The service is available to family practice physicians and any kind of doctors that see patients. Despite the fact that only a handful of physicians have signed up for the service so far, Zee is optimistic that the idea will catch on nationwide.

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