Reducing Wait Time from Referral to Admission
Care Process & Redesign
National Healthcare Innovation and Productivity Medals
Agency for Integrated Care - Intermediate and Long Term Care
10 October 2025
To reduce the wait time from referral to admission at St Luke's Hospital, enhancing efficiency, patient outcomes, and. The initiative successfully streamlined the referral-to-admission process, improving patientcare and operational efficiency at St.
Year Submitted: 2025
Published Date: 10 October 2025
Tags: Care Process ＆ Redesign, Workflow Redesign, Productivity, Cost Saving, Quality Improvement, Access To Care, Waiting Time, Time Saving
About this Content
Aims
To reduce the wait time from referral to admission at St Luke's Hospital, enhancing efficiency, patient outcomes, and satisfaction.
Background
St Luke's Hospital faced inefficiencies in the referral-to-admission process, with an average wait time of 3.8 days, some exceeding 10 days. The process was hindered by non-standardized workflows, communication gaps, and redundant tasks.
Methods
The team employed the LEAN methodology, conducted a root-cause analysis using a fishbone diagram, and implemented countermeasures such as standardized admission checklists and direct communication channels.
Results
The interventions reduced the average wait time from 3.8 days to ~2.6 days by September 2024, resulting in a 29% improvement in operational efficiency.
Conclusion
The initiative successfully streamlined the referral-to-admission process, improving patientcare and operational efficiency at St Luke's Hospital.
Lessons Learnt
The need for stakeholder alignment and education on admission criteria was crucial. Direct engagement with stakeholders would have been more efficient than virtual communication.
Keywords
LEAN methodology, referral process, patient outcomes
Innovators' Details
Innovators' Details
Healthcare Cluster(s) | Agency for Integrated Care - Intermediate and Long Term Care |
Organization(s) Involved | St Luke’s Hospital |
Platform(s) | National Healthcare Innovation and Productivity Medals |
Healthcare Professional Group(s) | Healthcare Administration |
Applicable Specialty or Discipline | Palliative Medicine |
Project Lead(s) | Marilou Ebreo |
Project Member(s) | Dynn Leong |
Connect with this contributor!
Dr. Marilou Ebreo - marilouebreo@stluke.org.sg