C3 enhances diagnostic imaging workflow to support efficient patient discharge

For many Nova Scotians, the time to be discharged from the hospital can feel like a waiting game. Thanks to a collaborative effort between the Care Coordination Centre, known as C3, and diagnostic imaging (DI) at the QEII, requisition workflows are being enhanced to help get patients discharged faster.  

C3 launched at the QEII Health Sciences Centre in 2022 and has since been providing real-time data on patient and bed status, diagnostic imaging requisition flow, and enhancing communication and coordination of patient care. For DI teams, this enables patients to be prioritized from the time they are triaged, helping to move requisitions more efficiently, and proactively plan for timelier discharge.

“Before C3, we did not have visualization of requisitions that were sent from the individual units for inpatients,” says C3 project manager, Anthony Wiseman. “The goal is to look at a patient who is getting close to discharge and understand what may be outstanding for that patient, like an X-ray or any other imaging, and make sure that they are not delayed when they get to their discharge date.”

Wiseman joined the C3 team in November and has seen first-hand how the system is helping imaging teams to visualize the flow of patient requisitions to imaging and on to discharge.

“DI requisitions were largely paper-based and used to require multiple phone calls between clinical and DI teams. By providing real time visibility into all open requisitions and key patient information, DI teams can better prioritize their inpatient list in a simplified manner.”

The C3 system allows for better tracking of patients and managing occupancy and discharges more effectively. It also allows escalations for imaging required to enable same day discharge which have significantly reduced since this process change began. This helps free up beds, allows units to see all patients and track incomplete tasks, ensuring that patients are ready for discharge by the estimated discharge date (EDD).

“Each patient's journey is unique due to factors like age, frailty, and comorbidities,” says Wiseman. “C3 allows for better visualization and provides greater detail to the interdisciplinary teams involved in supporting patient discharge.”

While discharge dates will vary from patient to patient, C3 and DI teams are working collaboratively to ensure that patients are receiving their imaging at the earliest opportunity with the goal of discharging patients to the comfort of their home sooner.

Pictured from left to right: Anthony Wiseman, C3 Escalation and Project Manager; Bev Barrios, Manager CT, Nuclear Medicine, and PET Scan; Allison Cobb, CT technologist Team Lead; Stacey Pyke C3 Provincial Training Manager