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Backlog · Patient experience

Patient experience improvement backlog

Every fix across the 5 hospital processes ranked by how much it improves the patient experience — wait times, communication, and perceived care quality. Lead with high-impact, low-effort items.

Backlog items
37
Patients impacted / yr
77,556
Processes covered
5
1
Add T-3h SMS + day-of phone reminder for high-risk patientsOutpatient appointments
For: Did not attend (DNA) · helps 10,416 patients/yr
effort lowimpact highView in process →
Patient experience impact
Other patients on the waiting list get those slots back — appointments are easier to get because no-shows drop from 10% to 4%.
2
Phlebotomy retraining + tube-additive verificationLab turnaround
For: Specimen rejection + redraw · helps 4,920 patients/yr
effort lowimpact highView in process →
Patient experience impact
Patients aren't called back to be drawn a second time because the first sample was hemolysed. Cuts the 'why am I being drawn again?' frustration.
3
Push ED orders to top of lab priority queueEmergency Department throughput
For: Lab turnaround · helps 2,340 patients/yr
effort lowimpact highView in process →
Patient experience impact
Patients don't wait 90 minutes in a curtained area wondering what's happening. Faster lab results mean a faster disposition decision.
4
FEFO picking + expiry-aware reorder pointsMedical inventory
For: Expired stock write-off · helps 1,296 patients/yr
effort lowimpact highView in process →
Patient experience impact
Indirect — but frees BHD from waste to reinvest in patient-facing supplies. Also reduces mid-treatment substitutions when a drug 'suddenly' runs out.
5
Auto-resolve common 3-way match exceptions with tolerance rulesProcure-to-pay
For: 3-way match exception · helps 1,140 patients/yr
effort lowimpact highView in process →
Patient experience impact
Indirect — but on-time vendor payments preserve the supply relationship for critical drugs and consumables that patients depend on.
6
Push discharge orders to nurse pagers + dashboardsPatient discharge
For: Nurse acknowledges order · helps 1,056 patients/yr
effort lowimpact highView in process →
Patient experience impact
Patients don't watch the discharge clock tick from the moment the doctor writes the order. They see the nurse acting on it within minutes — which is the moment most patients consider the discharge to have 'started.'
7
Pre-position next patient in pre-op 45 min before scheduled startOperating Room turnover
For: Wait on patient · helps 864 patients/yr
effort lowimpact highView in process →
Patient experience impact
Surgical patients don't sit stressed in pre-op holding while their OR keeps the previous case longer than planned. On-time starts mean fewer day-of cancellations.
8
Real-time waiting-list match on cancellationOutpatient appointments
For: Late cancellation + slot wastage · helps 17,856 patients/yr
effort mediumimpact highView in process →
Patient experience impact
Slots that would have been lost are auto-offered to the next waiting-list patient — they get treated weeks sooner instead of months.
9
Surface real-time inpatient bed availability to EDEmergency Department throughput
For: Inpatient bed wait · helps 4,560 patients/yr
effort mediumimpact highView in process →
Patient experience impact
Patients don't sit in an ED bay for hours after being told they'll be admitted. The handoff to the inpatient floor feels coordinated, not a 'lost in limbo' experience.
10
Pre-clear imports with NHRA + customs before arrivalMedical inventory
For: Import customs clearance · helps 3,840 patients/yr
effort mediumimpact highView in process →
Patient experience impact
Fewer 'sorry we're out of that' moments at the bedside for imported supplies (specific catheters, implants, specialty consumables). Clinicians can stick to the plan instead of substituting.
11
Pre-stage discharge meds at admissionPatient discharge
For: Pharmacy medicine dispense · helps 2,352 patients/yr
effort mediumimpact highView in process →
Patient experience impact
Patients aren't stuck in a 'discharged-but-not-released' state for hours while pharmacy preps the take-home meds. They leave when the doctor says they can — usually the same morning instead of late evening.
12
OCR + AI extraction for paper / PDF invoicesProcure-to-pay
For: Manual invoice entry · helps 2,160 patients/yr
effort mediumimpact highView in process →
Patient experience impact
Indirect — faster invoice processing improves vendor trust, which protects critical-supply availability for patient care.
13
Start insurance pre-auth at admission, not dischargePatient discharge
For: Insurance pre-authorisation · helps 1,980 patients/yr
effort mediumimpact highView in process →
Patient experience impact
Patients aren't told 'you're medically cleared, but we're waiting on your insurer for the wheelchair / home oxygen / SNF transfer.' The pre-auth lands before they're ready to leave, so the wait is invisible to them.
14
Cross-specialty slot pool on a single visit dayOutpatient appointments
For: Multi-specialty consolidation · helps 1,584 patients/yr
effort highimpact highView in process →
Patient experience impact
Patients with multiple conditions don't make 5 separate hospital trips — they do them all on one visit day. Hospital visits cut by ~53%.
15
Auto-approve below threshold; mobile-first approval aboveProcure-to-pay
For: Department head approval · helps 2,160 patients/yr
effort lowimpact mediumView in process →
Patient experience impact
Faster requisitions mean clinical departments aren't blocked from ordering supplies they need. Reduces last-minute substitution events.
16
Pre-populated consult requests with EHR snapshotEmergency Department throughput
For: Specialist consult · helps 1,140 patients/yr
effort lowimpact mediumView in process →
Patient experience impact
Patients see one team taking ownership rather than waiting unexplained hours while specialists are 'still on the way.'
17
Batch payment runs to daily instead of weeklyProcure-to-pay
For: Payment authorisation · helps 1,104 patients/yr
effort lowimpact mediumView in process →
Patient experience impact
Indirect — but more reliable vendor payments mean fewer supply disruptions in clinical departments.
18
Tiered inspection — deep for pharma / sterile, sampling for consumablesMedical inventory
For: Quality inspection (pharma + sterile) · helps 1,080 patients/yr
effort lowimpact mediumView in process →
Patient experience impact
Faster time-to-shelf for high-turnover consumables (gloves, syringes, IV bags). Less firefighting when a common item goes short.
19
Auto-page ED MD when patient is beddedEmergency Department throughput
For: MD initial assessment delay · helps 1,056 patients/yr
effort lowimpact mediumView in process →
Patient experience impact
Patients don't sit bedded for 30+ minutes with no one checking in. The MD arrives within 15 min — the moment patients consider the visit 'started.'
20
Proactive transport scheduling at order timePatient discharge
For: Transport requested · helps 504 patients/yr
effort lowimpact mediumView in process →
Patient experience impact
The 'I'm just waiting on a wheelchair' moment — the #1 complaint in discharge surveys — shrinks from 45 minutes to under 15.
21
Add structured consult-request templatePatient discharge
For: Specialist consultation · helps 420 patients/yr
effort lowimpact mediumView in process →
Patient experience impact
Patients don't lose an extra day in the hospital because the consultant hasn't dropped by. The consult request is structured so the specialist can respond from outside the unit.
22
Surgeon page T-15 before room readyOperating Room turnover
For: Wait on surgeon · helps 384 patients/yr
effort lowimpact mediumView in process →
Patient experience impact
Patients in the OR (anesthesia ready, conscious) don't wait an extra 15 min with anxiety while staff wait for the surgeon to arrive.
23
Smart routing across chemistry analyzersLab turnaround
For: Analyzer queue · helps 3,360 patients/yr
effort mediumimpact mediumView in process →
Patient experience impact
Faster results mean faster treatment decisions. Patients don't sit in beds waiting on labs that should take an hour but take three.
24
AI-assisted triage on referral arrivalOutpatient appointments
For: Clinical triage backlog · helps 2,520 patients/yr
effort mediumimpact mediumView in process →
Patient experience impact
Patients don't wait days for someone to decide their referral is urgent — triage happens within 2 days, not 5.
25
Barcode + pre-assigned bin locations at receiptMedical inventory
For: Warehouse put-away delay · helps 1,740 patients/yr
effort mediumimpact mediumView in process →
Patient experience impact
Supplies land on the ward faster — nurses stop making 'is it here yet?' trips to the storeroom.
26
Pre-screen SNF availability dailyPatient discharge
For: SNF placement coordination · helps 720 patients/yr
effort mediumimpact mediumView in process →
Patient experience impact
Families don't sit at the bedside while a case manager phones around for an SNF with capacity. The placement is arranged in parallel with the medical work, so the hand-off feels coordinated rather than scrambled.
27
Standardize cleaning checklist + add dedicated turnover teamOperating Room turnover
For: Room cleaning · helps 540 patients/yr
effort mediumimpact mediumView in process →
Patient experience impact
Indirect — faster turnover means earlier start for the next patient, less stress in pre-op holding.
28
Pre-stage backup trays per OR for common case mixOperating Room turnover
For: Instrument tray sterilization · helps 264 patients/yr
effort mediumimpact mediumView in process →
Patient experience impact
Indirect — fewer 'we're still waiting on the tray' delays that the patient feels as unexplained waiting.
29
Add pneumatic tube drop points on units 6S and 7ELab turnaround
For: Specimen transport · helps 1,140 patients/yr
effort highimpact mediumView in process →
Patient experience impact
Indirect — but cuts the 'we're waiting on labs' explanation patients hear from staff.
30
Scheduled ward runs (3× daily) + emergency pull-listMedical inventory
For: Ward distribution · helps 720 patients/yr
effort lowimpact lowView in process →
Patient experience impact
Wards stop hoarding 'just in case' because they trust the next drop is coming. Nurses spend less time chasing supplies, more with patients.
31
Add second triage nurse during peak hoursEmergency Department throughput
For: Triage time · helps 360 patients/yr
effort lowimpact lowView in process →
Patient experience impact
Walk-in patients don't queue at the front desk for 30+ minutes — they're triaged within 10 min so urgent cases get fast-tracked.
32
Route phlebotomy by floor cluster, not order timestampLab turnaround
For: Phlebotomy draw delay · helps 360 patients/yr
effort lowimpact lowView in process →
Patient experience impact
Patients don't wait 90 minutes between the order being placed and the phlebotomist arriving for the draw.
33
Pre-draw common anesthesia meds for the day's case mixOperating Room turnover
For: Anesthesia setup · helps 168 patients/yr
effort lowimpact lowView in process →
Patient experience impact
Cases start on time, reducing the anxious gap between being moved to the OR and going under.
34
Send discharge instructions via patient app pre-visitPatient discharge
For: Patient education & paperwork · helps 96 patients/yr
effort lowimpact lowView in process →
Patient experience impact
Patients get instructions on their phone the day before. The bedside teach-back is a quick confirmation, not a 20-minute lecture they're trying to absorb while their family is packing.
35
Direct patient self-booking from triage outcomeOutpatient appointments
For: Booking turnaround · helps 540 patients/yr
effort mediumimpact lowView in process →
Patient experience impact
Patients receive their appointment offer the same day, not 3 days later — they can plan around it sooner.
36
Auto-verify normal results within defined deltasLab turnaround
For: Result verification · helps 480 patients/yr
effort mediumimpact lowView in process →
Patient experience impact
Verified results land in the chart faster — patients learn what's happening hours sooner.
37
EDI integration with top 20 vendorsProcure-to-pay
For: Vendor confirmation wait · helps 336 patients/yr
effort mediumimpact lowView in process →
Patient experience impact
Indirect — faster vendor confirms keep critical-supply orders on track.