The hospital has also focused on providing patients with information while they wait, and has video booklets on the MR experience that patients can watch before an exam, and LCD monitors in the waiting room that display photos of the nurses and technologists on duty.

Patients are also given tablets that alert them when it’s time for their exam so receptionists don’t have to shout out names. The patients can also use the tablets to send messages to the receptionists.


Patients get a survey from Rate My Hospital texted to them as they leave an appointment.

After the exam, the facility embargoes results in the patient portal so the provider can go over them, but that embargo period has been shortened to 48 to 72 hours, Hentel said.

Dr. Avez Rizvi, division chief of the Center for Medical Innovation, Software, and Technology (CMIST) at Sidra Medical and Research Center in Doha, Qatar, spoke about creating a culture of innovation with changes to patient wait times and in-house software creation.

For example, one doctor came up with an idea for patients to get a buzzer, as they would when waiting for a table at a restaurant, so they could walk around the hospital and visit its cafes instead of sitting in a waiting room. The system also tracks when patients arrive and how long it takes until they are seen.

Sidra also created a smartphone app for pregnant women called 10 Moons that helps expectant mothers track their pregnancy with a guide on fetal development, nutrition advice and information related to their care, including access to 3D ultrasounds.

“There are areas where you can take risk without affecting patient care,” Rizvi said.

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