Abstract
The order starts the clock. If the order is for a walk-in service it will probably be followed shortly by the appearance of a patient. If it is for a scheduled service it will be followed by a request for an appointment. The generation of orders is not uniform throughout the day, but follows a pattern that is typical of many activities. This chapter discusses some of the operational challenges that result from the peaks and valleys of this pattern. We also discuss some of the issues related to order “priority”—the immediacy with which the order must be addressed—and aging but unfilled orders. Some of the other topics that we address are who can place and modify orders, and what information the order should contain.
“The orders ordain events, change the face of the world”
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, “Flight to Arras”
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Notes
- 1.
The other being receipt of finalized diagnostic information, which can include formal written reports or any number of means of communication: from formal consultations to curbside consults, emails, and text messages.
- 2.
Unless you have read “The Little Prince” and perceive this chart as “a boa constrictor digesting an elephant.”
- 3.
The daily volume corresponds to the sum of all hourly volumes—or, simply, to the area under the curve.
- 4.
This of course introduces the issue of potentially discrepant interpretations between the clinician and the radiologist—but that is beyond the scope of this chapter.
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Rosenthal, D., Pianykh, O. (2021). Ordering. In: Efficient Radiology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-53610-7_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-53610-7_3
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