Referral Migration: Electronic Referral Service (ERS) to RiO

Customer:

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Services:

Process Automation

Industry:

Healthcare

Introduction:

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust faced challenges with the manual migration of external referrals for the Integrated Pain & Spinal Service (IPASS) from the Electronic Referral Service (ERS) to RiO. This process was time-consuming, error-prone, and led to backlogs due to its repetitive nature. Seeking a solution to streamline this workflow, the trust approached our team for process automation services.

Issue:

The manual migration process for IPASS referrals involved significant handling time, with each referral taking approximately 15 minutes to process. With over 14,000 referrals annually, the volume of migrations posed a substantial administrative burden. Human error was also a concern, given the repetitive nature of the task, leading to inaccuracies and delays in processing.

Key Project Details:

  1. Manual Handling Time: 15 minutes per referral
  2. Volume of Referrals: 14,000+ annually
  3. Human-Error Potential: High due to repetitive tasks

Automation Process Flow:

  1. Poll ERS for new referrals.
  2. Migrate attachments.
  3. Create and transfer referral.
  4. Distribute waitlist letter.
  5. Cancel original referral.

Automation Benefits:

  1. Time Savings: 3,500 hours saved annually.
  2. SLA Adherence: 24-hour SLA consistently met through automation.
  3. Backlogs Removed: Migrations occur in real-time, eliminating backlogs.
  4. Error Elimination: Ensured accuracy and reliability in the migration process.

Conclusion:

Through the implementation of process automation, Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust successfully addressed the challenges associated with the manual migration of referrals from ERS to RiO for the IPASS. By automating the migration process, the trust realized significant time savings, met SLAs consistently, eliminated backlogs, and ensured accuracy in data transfer. This not only enhanced operational efficiency but also improved the overall quality of patient care by expediting the referral process. The trust can now focus resources on delivering timely and effective healthcare services, confident in the reliability and efficiency of the automated referral migration system.