Surgical clinics are unlocking new levels of efficiency and revenue by eliminating manual processes and communication gaps that often delay or cancel procedures.
During a June 23 presentation hosted by Becker’s Healthcare and LeanTaaS, leaders from Ankle & Foot Specialists of Puget Sound and LeanTaaS shared how intelligent scheduling and workflow automation are helping reduce cancellations by 73% and increase completed surgeries by 24%.
Here are four key takeaways:
- The status quo
Before implementing LeanTaaS’ iQueue for Surgical Clinics, Ankle & Foot Specialists of Puget Sound faced paper-based scheduling, inconsistent documentation and communication breakdowns. These inefficiencies led to denied claims, patient frustration and unused surgical block time.
“Employees were frustrated with not feeling like they could do their job because they didn’t have all the information they needed,” said Amber Hollis, clinic manager at Ankle & Foot Specialists of Puget Sound. “Hearing the frustrations out of my staff and then out of the providers, I just knew that something needed to change.”
For Ms. Hollis, eliminating this friction was essential to protect both patient experience and provider efficiency.
- Digitization enabled transformation
By adopting iQueue, the clinic digitized its surgery workflows, creating a single source of truth for each case. Providers now enter standardized data, such as CPT and diagnosis codes, surgery location and equipment needs before a case can move forward.
The platform also automates many communications, including patient notifications, vendor coordination and pre-op documentation. This centralized approach to scheduling, case tracking and other related tasks enabled immediate efficiencies and return on investment.
“Centralizing everything was huge for us,” Ms. Hollis said. “Before it was sticky notes and emails and chasing people down. Now, everything is done in real time. It’s made a lot of things easier to handle without details slipping through the cracks.”
- Measurable results, meaningful impact
After implementation, the clinic achieved a 24% increase in case completion rates and a 73% drop in cancellations and holds. Scheduler efficiency improved 3.4 times, allowing the practice to consolidate three roles into one without reducing volume.
Automated coding also improved billing accuracy, reduced denials, and provided patients with timely, transparent cost information.
“The amount of time that went into all of these things was incredible,” Ms. Hollis said. “Digitizing it has made things much more efficient. It’s all in one place. There’s nothing better than that.”
- Change management and trusted partnership
While some providers were initially hesitant, all, including those less comfortable with digital tools, adapted quickly with structured training and hands-on support from LeanTaaS.
Looking ahead, deeper integrations with health system partners are expected to drive further efficiency by eliminating duplicate data entry and syncing workflows across locations.
Ms. Hollis stressed the importance of working with a partner that organizations can trust. Her collaboration with LeanTaaS is defined by a customized approach that helps her address the specific issues she faces instead of providing a one size fits all approach.
“Being the bridge between the providers and the staff, that’s exactly what iQueue did,” she said. “It went fantastic for us and I feel like if we could do it, almost anybody could do it. Don’t make your life any harder than it should be.”
