Agfa HealthCare Scheduling Rollout

Aim

These rural and remote sites that use QRiS have either no scheduling workflows or dated scheduling workflows that are not integrated into QRiS. Using AHCS sites are able to easily manage the paper or electronic orders as they arrive, and schedule appointments.

Outcomes

• Medical Imaging sites are able to develop and use automated appointment letters to better inform patients.
• Paper and electronic order are managed more efficiently and effectively.
• Appointments are easier to manage and room utilisation is more efficient
• Medical Imaging sites are able to manage their schedules for room and resources for different scheduling priorities and specialisations.
• Appointments are easy to reschedule when required.

Background

With the current integrated QRiS application (QPlanner) entering end of life support from the vendor, sites that utilised QPlanner had to migrate to a brand-new modern scheduling system. Also, many sites that did not utilise scheduling and order management systems found themselves needing to implement these systems to facilitate the introduction of ieMR electronic orders.

Discussion

With the widely used QPlanner entering end of life and many sites relying on the system for managing their medical imaging schedules, appointments and both electronic and paper orders, we had to ensure that the new system, Agfa HealthCare Scheduling replaced all functionality and allowed for every workflow to continue. Ensuring a smooth transition from QPlanner to AHCS was essential, that all the intricate and historic resource schedules, appointment letters, work lists were available and migrated or re-created when required. The scheduling of appointments and order management was mostly utilised for larger hospitals with smaller remote clinics using ‘walk-in’ workflows and paper orders.

This was an opportunity for the smaller sites to implement basic scheduling and order management workflows for those sites now accepting electronic ordering or anticipating electronic ordering in the near future. This was a big change for the smaller remote sites, as workflows change drastically, with the realisation that a bit extra time at the start of a patient’s journey in medical imaging to create internal electronic orders,  or scheduling would save a lot more time down the line with appointment letter generation, quicker patient arrival process, as well as rebooking or failed to attend workflows.

Appointment letters were able to be customised for each site during the roll out,  with larger sites utilising many different templates for different modalities and extra exam preparation text, smaller sites using more straightforward letters, and remote sites in the Torres Strait and Cape York creating appointment letters which were culturally  sensitive to their patients, due to the experience of many patients avoiding government and medical facilities.

References

N/A