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Industry
Rural Health
Challenge
Harrison Memorial Hospital faced missed follow-ups, scheduling delays, and fragmented communication around appointments. Additional issues included appointments being scheduled without required provider signatures—especially in high-volume areas such as Radiology, Cardiology, and Respiratory Therapy. Disconnected order and scheduling processes, reliance on manual tracking, and duplicated authorization work further contributed to inefficiencies and inconsistencies.
Results
Appointment scheduling time was reduced by approximately 50%, and errors decreased significantly. By optimizing the CWS module, the organization achieved productivity gains equivalent to nearly four full-time employees—without adding headcount.
Services Provided
MEDITECH, EHR Optimization
About the Provider
Harrison Memorial Hospital has been a cornerstone of healthcare in Kentucky communities since 1906. Originally founded as a community hospital, it has grown into a modern facility offering advanced medical technology and specialized care. Through partnerships with leading physician specialists, the hospital provides high-quality healthcare close to home. Harrison Memorial Hospital employs over 100 physicians and advanced practice providers, continuing its mission to deliver accessible and exceptional healthcare services.A Team Effort for Appointment Scheduling Wins
Harrison’s Director of Patient Access, Megon Northcutt, reported the improvements and had this comment:
“I am grateful for all your help with the CWS 1:1 build. We couldn’t have done it without your support and expertise. You’ve been invaluable throughout this process. It was a great team effort.”
Megon K. Northcutt | Harrison Memorial Hospital, Revenue Cycle Manager
Since implementing the CWS (Community Wide Scheduling) 1:1 scheduling model and leveraging the Hold Queue, staff can manage requests more efficiently, validate patient demographics upfront, and ensure accurate test scheduling with far less back-and-forth. The improved workflow has strengthened time management and significantly increased scheduling accuracy. Northcutt estimates scheduling call time has been reduced by 50% or more.
Life after Scheduling Workflow Optimization
Harrison Memorial Hospital (HMH) partnered with CereCore during its MEDITECH Expanse implementation to assess and optimize Community Wide Scheduling (CWS), Authorization/Referral Management, and Registration workflows. The focus: strengthen system utilization, improve configuration, and better support administrative operations.
These efforts delivered measurable impact across departments:
- Radiology now receives complete, accurate orders, with edits routed back to providers via the Sign List—closing the loop and eliminating downstream rework.
- External order intake improved with ~500 new appointment types, reducing scheduling friction and provider back-and-forth.
- Automated workflows—including pending appointment tracking and provider signature routing—cut manual follow-up time and allow staff to focus more on patient care.
Appointment Workflow Improvements with Multi-Departmental Impact
Imaging and Respiratory Therapy:- Clearer order-to-appointment mapping and standardized instructions
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Fewer errors and greater workflow consistency
- Less time spent correcting appointments or chasing signatures
- Improved closure rates with Sign List integration
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Smoother intake with expanded appointment types aligned to orders.
Additional Benefits for Scheduling
- Reduced scheduling errors and incorrect test bookings.
- Improved patient throughput and reduced day-of-service delays.
- Decreased call volume and staff workload.
- Enhanced staff satisfaction and workflow consistency.
- Better alignment between clinical orders and scheduling processes.
How Clinical Efficiency Improvements Were Achieved
CereCore partnered closely with departments to rebuild scheduling processes end-to-end. This included:
- Redesigning the CWS appointment dictionary to establish direct linkage between OM orders and appointment types.
- Developing department-specific instruction sets to minimize errors and improve clarity.
- Supporting the design and testing of updated workflows for pending appointments and authorization routing.
- Providing classroom training and tip sheets to reinforce new workflows and ensure staff readiness at Go Live.
- Delivering Go Live support and post-implementation stabilization.
- Helping identify and build new Worklists where needed to support improved task management and follow-up visibility.
- Addressing challenges with external orders by expanding appointment offerings—ultimately building approximately 500 standardized appointment types to support more accurate scheduling and intake for both internal and referred patients.
Results
Through a comprehensive redesign of CWS, Authorization/Referral Management, and Registration workflows within MEDITECH Expanse, Harrison Memorial Hospital achieved:
- ~50% reduction in scheduling time
- Significant decrease in errors and rework
- Streamlined, connected order-to-appointment processes
- Improved tracking, authorization management, and staff efficiency
The result: a more accurate, efficient scheduling operation that supports both staff productivity and patient care—without adding headcount.
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