Skip to main content

Scheduling

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Efficient Radiology
  • 470 Accesses

Abstract

Scheduling is the art and science of assigning tasks to resources and people in such a way as to make performance predictable. A well-designed scheduling system will always attempt to optimize some parameter—such as room use, revenue, or physician time. This chapter discusses design considerations for a scheduling system, including how to fit a spectrum of examination durations into a schedule template, how to keep the workflow on time, and how to determine whether the available appointments are adequate for the demand.

“There cannot be a crisis next week. My schedule is already full!”

Henry Kissinger, American politician

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

eBook
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    The protocol maintenance problem has been haunting radiology departments for years and is largely ignored by the medical device vendors.

References

  1. Ernst AT, Jiang H, Krishnamoorthy M, Sier D. Staff scheduling and rostering: a review of applications, methods and models. Eur J Oper Res. 2004;153(1):3–27.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Cayirli T, Veal E. Outpatient scheduling in health care: a review of literature. Prod Oper Manag. 2003;12(4):519–49.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Pinedo ML. Scheduling: theory, algorithms, and systems. New York: Springer; 2016.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  4. Waldron M, Scott K. Improved scheduling operations in diagnostic imaging. Radiol Manag. 2013;35(1):36–7.

    Google Scholar 

  5. DiRoberto C, et al. Prioritizing the protocol: improving the process of scheduling imaging examinations in a radiology department with partially integrated IT systems. J Am Coll Radiol. 2017;14(3):444–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Wikipedia. Gamma distribution. Wikipedia. [Online]. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamma_distribution.

  7. Sadigh G, et al. Prevalence of unanticipated events associated with MRI examinations: a benchmark for MRI quality, safety, and patient experience. J Am Coll Radiol. 2017;14(6):765–72.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Durand D, et al. Mandatory child life consultation and its impact on pediatric MRI workflow in an academic medical center. J Am Coll Radiol. 2015;12(6):594–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Nickel S, Schmidt U. Process improvement in hospitals: a case study in a radiology department. Qual Manag Health Care. 2009;18(4):326–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Pirasteh A, et al. Implementation of an online screening and check-in process to optimize patient workflow before outpatient MRI studies. J Am Coll Radiol. 2016;13(8):956–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Wessman B, et al. Reducing barriers to timely MR imaging scheduling. Radiographics. 2014;34(7):2064–70.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. van Sambeek J, et al. Reducing MRI access times by tackling the appointment-scheduling strategy. BMJ Qual Saf. 2011;20(12):1075–80.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Institute for Healthcare Improvement. Third next available appointment. [Online]. http://www.ihi.org/resources/Pages/Measures/ThirdNextAvailableAppointment.aspx.

  14. Asfaw BA, Nagtegaal B-J, Rabiner P, Thrall J. The outpatient availability score: an alternative approach to measuring demand. J Am Coll Radiol. 2007;4(3):171–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Prabhakar AM, Harvey HB, Misono AS, Erwin AE, Jones N, Heffernan J, Rosenthal DI, Brink JA, Saini S. Imaging decision support does not drive out-of-network leakage of referred imaging. J Am Coll Radiol. 2016;13(6):606–10.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Becker’s Hospital Review. [Online]. www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/referral-networks-stopping-leakage-and-technology-investments-5-top-revenue-generation-strategies-for-cfos.html.

  17. Boland GW, Duszak R. Modality access: strategies for optimizing throughput. J Am Coll Radiol. 2015;12(10):1073–5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Rhea JT, Bauman RA, Jeffrey P. Determination of needed radiographic room capacity to serve an emergency department. Emerg Radiol. 1994;1(3):133–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Daniel Rosenthal .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2021 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Rosenthal, D., Pianykh, O. (2021). Scheduling. In: Efficient Radiology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-53610-7_4

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-53610-7_4

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-53609-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-53610-7

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics