A new robotic process automation (RPA) system for waiting list management is being rolled out across the HSE as the latest step in the HSE’s waiting list action plan.
It is expected that the software will be deployed in all of the new health regions by the end of this year.
The software, initially developed by the HSE Technology and Transformation office for Galway University Hospital (GUH), will replace the manual processing of waiting list data from the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF).
The NTPF regularly updates all hospitals with information on patients whose treatment has been sourced elsewhere. Based on this information, hospitals suspend or remove these patients from the active waiting list and allocate their place to another patient.
Currently this is a time-consuming process which requires hospital staff to cross check their active waiting list with the data received from the NTPF.
HSE Technology and Transformation worked with GUH to automate this process by creating a digital assistant called Ruan, which is configured to perform these same manual steps. The software has replaced an estimated 100 hours per month of manual administrative work.
Tony Canavan, regional executive officer (REO) for HSE West and North West, said the region had been working hard over the last couple of years to reduce its waiting list.
“[Not] just to reduce the number of patients on the waiting list but also, crucially, to reduce the length of time people wait for outpatient appointments and elective procedures in all of our hospitals,” Mr Canavan said.
“Part of that process has also been about improving the way we manage our waiting lists and RPA has been really important in that this year. It has distinct advantages for our patients but also for our staff in saving them time and allowing them to work more efficiently.
“We’re hoping to roll this out right across our region. As part of the HSE waiting list action plan, there are plans underway to extend this solution to all HSE hospitals.”
Speaking at the Health Informatics Society of Ireland (HISI) conference on AI in healthcare this week, Kevin Kelly, head of the HSE AI and Automation Centre of Excellence, said the executive is “in the middle of an accelerated deployment” of the software to 20 other hospitals around the country and it is expected that this deployment will be complete by the end of 2024.
A number of new projects are also underway to further develop efficiencies in the area of waiting lists administration, including end-of-day did-not-attend reporting, automated processing of SMS messages and responses, automated booking of non-urgent appointments, and batch cancellation.
