Patient dissatisfaction with appointment wait times coupled with increasing surgical volume led New England Baptist Hospital to closely examine its pre-admission screening unit. The hospital worked to identify and eliminate roadblocks to greater efficiencies, aimed at reducing the average of 173 minutes patients spent in the unit.

In February 2011, the 162-bed Boston-based orthopedic hospital undertook a process redesign that targeted scheduling, patient experience and information flow after the visit, garnering New England Baptist the Spirit of Excellence Honorable Mention for Process Improvement.

The hospital has decreased average patient throughput by 43 minutes from 2011 to 2012; reduced length of stay for hip replacement (from 3.4 to 2.8 days) and knee replacement (from 3.6 to 3.4 days) between 2010 and 2012; reduced day-of-surgery cancellations; eliminated unnecessary consults; and cut costs by being able to see two additional patients a day.