Fluid Patient Registration and Admission Leads to Decreased Wait Times and Increased Productivity
Westlake Hospital, a 328 bed facility founded in 1925, offers both conventional and innovative, high-tech diagnostic procedures and services for the Western Suburbs area located outside of Chicago, Illinois. A part of Resurrection Health Care, a not-for-profit corporation, Westlake is also a member of the largest healthcare system in the Chicago Metropolitan area.
The challenge
The Western Suburbs area outside of Chicago experienced a sudden growth in population and consequently an increase in the number of patients seeking local healthcare services. More patients meant increased patient traffic and as a result, ineffective patient registration and admission practices.
Westlake Hospital decided that the best solution for their admissions problems was to invest in a Qmatic Patient Flow Management system. Jeanette D’abaldo, Manager of Administration Outpatient and ER for Westlake Hospital, explained, ”The biggest complaint in healthcare today is in the registration process. The problem exists because before patients can receive service, they must be entered into the system.”
Westlake Hospital’s goal was to reduce wait times, increase productivity, and to monitor and track the registration process. Qmatic not only offered the best solution but also worked closely with the hospital to ensure that they develop the most effective patient flow process to match their particular needs.
The solution
When patients enter the hospital registration area, they are greeted by an attendant who enters their information into the Qmatic software, provides them with an alphanumeric ticket, and directs them to the waiting area.
Managing Patient Flow
When a registration counter becomes available, the attendant calls the next patient in line by their ticket identification number. LED displays flash the ticket number while an audio unit voices it to capture the patient’s attention and direct him or her to the correct counter. The patient is registered and redirected to the waiting area to wait until called for service.
Stats and HIPPA Compliance
Westlake uses its customer flow software to track the patient wait times as well as the staff productivity in the registration department. It also uses the system to comply with HIPPA regulations concerning patient privacy. Patients are never called by name, but rather by the ticket identification number. “Since the system calls the patient number instead of the name, we never have to worry about an ‘oops,’” D’abaldo explains.
The result
Once the Qmatic system was in place, the results were immediate. “Wait time has gone down by two minutes in about three weeks, and we’ve increased productivity by 25%,” said D’abaldo. As for the patients’ reactions, “They were glad that Westlake had spent the money to make them feel more valued and to keep their information more secure.”
Westlake Hospital continues to demonstrate its commitment to providing the best possible healthcare environment to the Western Suburbs community. With Qmatic, Westlake has been able to take this commitment one step further by matching its well-known patient services with high-quality patient experiences.
“We see up to 7,000 patients a month, 5,000 of which interact with the Qmatic system. With the patient flow software, we can better monitor the process and can see where improvements have been made.”
- Jeanette D’abaldo, Manager of Administration Outpatient and ER