Predicting waiting times and making their causes visible
Even when every exam is scheduled, waiting times occur: an exam takes longer than planned, a patient arrives late, an urgent case is fitted in. These delays carry over through the day. We show where they originate, predict when and on which scanner they are likely to occur, and point out where reductions could start.
Waiting time is not the primary goal of planning here, but a guardrail: it is tracked so that aligning the appointment book with economics does not degrade care.
What we analyse
Section titled “What we analyse”- Waiting time on the day: the gap between appointment, arrival and actual start of the exam.
- Delay chains: how deviations in individual exams affect subsequent appointments.
- Patterns: differences by scanner, weekday, time of day, exam type, contrast administration and appointment type.
- Lead time: how long patients wait for an appointment, depending on the exam – as an addition, if the data allows.
Data we typically use
Section titled “Data we typically use”- Exports from scheduling and the RIS (appointment time, exam type, scanner, status timestamps such as check-in or exam start)
- Timestamps from the modalities’ DICOM headers (e.g. start and end of image acquisition)
- Master data on scanners, rooms and opening hours
All data is handed over pseudonymised. We do not need names, dates of birth or reports. More under Data protection.
Outcome
Section titled “Outcome”- Dashboard showing waiting times and delays by scanner, day and exam type
- Forecast of the expected delay for upcoming days, based on historical patterns
- Prioritised starting points, for example on where to place buffer time or how to order exam types through the day
- on request, a planning tool integrated into your daily routine
How it runs
Section titled “How it runs”- Analysis: data export, cleaning and a first evaluation of waiting-time patterns.
- Report and workshop: the causes of the delays and where to start, checked with your team against real daily schedules.
- Implementation (optional): prediction model and dashboard in day-to-day use, with monitoring of forecast quality.
The phases are described in detail in the engagement model. Closely related is the measurement of scan durations, usually the most important foundation for a reliable waiting-time forecast.