In “going rogue” by deviating from the expected first-in-first-out worklist policy, radiologists at a large practice have been shown to have increased their read times by 13 percent. In the process, they cost their practice plenty of dollars.
That’s according to a study slated for an upcoming issue of Management Science and spotlighted April 13 at Forbes.com.
“Overall, our calculations suggest that foregoing deviations would have led to faster reading times that could have saved 2,494 hours per year, which, when translated to the bottom line, would have increased annual profits by 3 percent,” the study authors write, according to a Forbes.com blogger.
The blogger surmises that the first-in-first-out approach is not necessarily faster on its feet than other approaches, such as reading in batches grouped by, for example, body part.
Instead, “it’s likely that people fail to consider the time it takes just to choose one task over another, in what they believe to be the best interest of personal productivity,” the blogger writes. “Those who always follow a recommended schedule don’t have to spend time deciding when or how to stray from it.”
Read the blog post:
Dave P. has worked in journalism, marketing and public relations for more than 30 years, frequently concentrating on hospitals, healthcare technology and Catholic communications. He has also specialized in fundraising communications, ghostwriting for CEOs of local, national and global charities, nonprofits and foundations.