Madrid reduces waiting list times in February

The latest data from Madrid Health Service (Sermas)corresponding to the month of February, reflect a general improvement in the Community of Madrid (CAM) of the healthcare times in all care categories: surgical waiting lists (LEQ), outpatient consultations and diagnostic tests.

Although the total number of patients in structural waiting continued to be high (85,669), Madrid’s healthcare system managed to reduce waiting times and increase surgical activity in February, two key factors to improve care for patients who need an intervention.

In February the 39,806 interventions, 2,476 more than in January (37,330). This growth was added to the strong increase already registered during the first month of the year, when it went from 32,465 to 37,330 operations (+4,865). In total, 7,341 additional interventions have been carried out since January, which represents an increase of around 23%.

Regarding the times on the surgical waiting list, The average structural delay was reduced from 52.45 days in January to 48.92 in February, which represents a decrease of more than three days. In addition, the distribution of waiting times improved: the percentage of patients seen in less than 30 days increased, from 36.88% to 45.59%, and the number of those who exceeded 180 days decreased, from 1,015 to 780. This behavior confirms an improvement not only in the average times, but also in the most delayed cases, one of the main pressure indicators of the system.

Consultations

In the area of ​​appointments with the specialist, the evolution also pointed to an improvement in February, despite the increased healthcare pressurewith 730,000 patients in structural waiting. Even so, there was a reduction in waiting times. The average delay for a first consultation fell to 64.09 days, compared to 69.45 in January, which represented a decrease of more than five days in a single month. This improvement was also accompanied by a greater number of patients resolved in the first sections and a moderate reduction in those who exceeded 90 days.

The reduction in waiting times for consultations was supported by the increase in healthcare activity. The number of patients seen in outpatient clinics grew significantly, going from 338,059 in January to 393,033 in February, that is, 54,974 more visits in a single month. This increase occurred in a context of greater dynamism of the system, with an increase in both entries and exits, which reached 465,769. For its part, the rate of patients treated per 1,000 inhabitants stood at 54.78, which reinforces the improvement in care capacity at this level.

Diagnostic tests

In the case of diagnostic and therapeutic tests, the data also reflected in February a reduction in waiting times. The average delay decreased from 56.44 days in January to 53.45 days in February, which reinforces the trend towards reduction of attention periods.

Also in this care category, activity increased: the number of patients treated grew significantly in February, with 20,000 more, going from 153,665 to 174,049, along with a significant rebound in entries and exits from the system. This increase was added to that already recorded in January, when the patients treated went from 150,779 to 153,665. Overall, activity in diagnostic tests has grown since January by 23,270 patients, which represents an increase of 15.43%.

Despite this, the high healthcare pressure caused the total number of patients in structural waiting to slightly exceed 191,000. All in all, the data point to an improvement in resolution capacity, with a reduction in prospective delay and a greater volume of processes attended to.

Hospitals

In this scenario, hospitals play a key role in resolving healthcare waiting lists. In surgeries, the shortest waiting times in February were recorded by Villalba General University Hospital with 10.98 days of average delay, followed by the Rey Juan Carlos University Hospital (13.75 days), the Jiménez Díaz Foundation (18.02 days) and the Infanta Elena University Hospital (21.62 days).

In outpatient clinics the pattern was repeated. The shortest waiting times were also recorded by the Villalba General University Hospital (21.14 days), the Infanta Elena University Hospital (22.22 days) and the Jiménez Díaz Foundation (24.59 days). They were followed by the Rey Juan Carlos University Hospital (27.40 days) and the Torrejón University Hospital (33.65 days).

In diagnostic tests, the Torrejón University Hospital topped the classification with 13.07 days, followed by the Infanta Elena University Hospital (18.60 days) and the Red Cross Central Hospital (19.49 days). The San Carlos Clinical Hospital (22.37 days) and the El Escorial Hospital (26.74 days) also stood out, with contained delay levels.

The hospitals that occupy the first positions in efficiency and shortest access times in the three categories correspond to public-private management centers, showing a good capacity of public-private hospitals in terms of efficiency, accessibility and response in a context of high healthcare pressure.