What is STAT?
“Specific Timely Assessment and Triage” or STAT, is a model for managing access, triage and client flow through outpatient and community services. It is ideally suited to outpatient and community settings where waiting lists are commonplace and care is typically provided over a series of appointments.
The key elements of the STAT model are:
- Creation of a specific number of protected appointments for new clients in clinician schedules based on analysis of demand;
- Simplification of booking processes to facilitate immediate access to a timely initial appointment;
- Early assessment by a clinician, to provide a complete picture of the client’s needs, as well as rapid access to information, advice and early intervention.
- Triage for ongoing care through appropriate pathways, that consider the client’s needs and service capacity. This is a fundamental shift away from triage for initial access to the service, and more active prioritisation for ongoing services within the context of supply and demand.
A one-off, targeted intervention to reduce the existing waiting list is often incorporated into implementation of the STAT model to enable a service to “catch up” so that STAT can be used to “keep up”.
