From Inefficiencies to Operational Excellence Through Digital

Client Overview

The client, a large health organisation, embarked on a transformation initiative to enhance the experience of its stakeholders. Clinicians faced inefficiencies due to outdated paper-based workflows that impacted patient care. Laboratory technicians struggled with managing diagnostic data across fragmented systems, leading to operational bottlenecks. Patients encountered limited access to test results and communication channels, affecting their engagement with healthcare services. Addressing these challenges was critical to improving overall care delivery and to help support the overall health of patients.

After amalgamating laboratory services from multiple health districts into a centralised management structure, the organisation faced significant challenges, as the process exacerbated existing inefficiencies in managing paper-based workflows and limited their ability to fully utilise data across disparate systems. The centralisation also introduced complexities in aligning legacy processes and technologies under a unified operational framework.

They aimed to unlock the potential of legacy systems and establish a centralised digital platform to support advanced tools and applications tailored to various stakeholders’ needs.

Challenge

The client’s existing infrastructure was characterised by outdated electronic medical record (EMR) systems, laboratory information systems (LIS), and radiology information systems (RIS). These systems lacked modern interfaces, resulting in siloed data repositories. This outdated architecture limited the ability to share information efficiently, delayed decision-making, and created bottlenecks in accessing patient data, adversely affecting care delivery and operational workflows. This inefficiency impeded timely access to relevant information, adversely affecting care delivery.

Key challenges included:

• User Experience Gaps: Outdated paper-based workflows and tools created inefficiencies for clinicians and laboratory technicians while limiting patient access.
• Delays in Accessing Results: Paper-based results caused delays, hindering clinicians’ ability to provide timely patient care.
• Data Silos: Limited interoperability between legacy EMR, LIS, and RIS systems made it difficult to achieve a unified view of patient data.
• Lack of Centralised Data Access: The absence of a unified data layer restricted the adoption of modern digital tools.
• Complex Integration Needs: The amalgamation of laboratories under a single body required seamless system integration.

Solution

Anthosa Consulting collaborated with the client to design and execute a human-centred, multi-disciplinary approach to overcome these challenges. This approach prioritised the needs and experiences of the end users—clinicians, laboratory technicians, and patients—by involving them directly in the design process. Through human-centred workshops and collaborative sessions based on our strategy accelerators, the team identified pain points and tailored solutions to fit existing workflows, ensuring that the tools and technologies developed were intuitive, effective, and aligned with stakeholder requirements. The transformation strategy focused on robust technology frameworks and stakeholder collaboration.

Key actions included:

• Data Liberation and Centralisation:

1. 1. • Migrated and consolidated legacy EMR data to create a centralised transactional data layer.
      • Implemented MongoDB Atlas to manage and scale data requirements efficiently.

• Integration and Interoperability:

1. 1. • Designed a microservices architecture and developed Microservices and APIs using WSO2 Choreo to enable seamless data flow across systems.

• Tailored Digital Tools:

1. 1. • Developed three specialised mobile applications (using React Native and Node) to meet the unique needs of clinicians, laboratory technicians, and patients:
        • Clinician App: Provided streamlined access to patient histories, test requests, and results.
        • Laboratory App: Enhanced workflows for diagnostic tests and collaboration with clinicians.
        • Patient App: Offered easy access to test results and communication channels with healthcare providers.

• User-Centric Design:

1. 1. • Facilitated workshops with clinicians, laboratory technicians, patients, and the program team to ensure solutions aligned with their specific needs.
      • Emphasised iterative testing and feedback to refine application functionality.

• Delivery Platform:

1. • Rolling out the NousFlow.io platform allowed leaders to see how delivery teams fulfilled strategic objectives and delivered services being designed.
   • This allowed the client to tap into our ecosystem of delivery partners to get additional capacity for delivering the program.
   • It enhanced collaboration between architects, designers, and delivery teams, capturing the tacit/experiential knowledge about the systems to add value during the service design.

Results and Benefits

The initiative resulted in significant improvements in operational efficiency and user satisfaction. Key outcomes included:

• Improved User Experience:
  • Streamlined workflows reduced administrative tasks for clinicians and laboratory technicians.
  • Empowered patients with mobile access to health information, fostering transparency and engagement.
• Operational Efficiency:
  • Achieved seamless integration across laboratory systems using WSO2 Choreo, ensuring consistent and reliable data flow.
• Enhanced Data Access:
  • Eliminated data silos through a centralised MongoDB Atlas cloud infrastructure.
  • Enabled real-time access to critical patient and laboratory data.
• Scalability and Future-Readiness:
  • Established a modern architecture capable of supporting future digital health innovations.

Within months, the client reported a 40% reduction in administrative delays for clinicians, a 30% faster turnaround time for laboratory test results, and a 25% increase in patient satisfaction scores. These metrics illustrate the tangible impact of improved digital workflows and enhanced access to critical data. Anthosa Consulting’s human-centred approach demonstrated how complex healthcare organisations could effectively achieve large-scale transformation. This meant that clinicians and laboratory technicians could focus on patient care and achieve better outcomes for long-term patient healthcare.

“When we embarked on this program, we were overwhelmed. However, the Anthosa team had the confidence and a proven approach, enabling us to break things down into achievable outcomes aligned with our funding envelopes.

The way they worked alongside our team was excellent. They were highly collaborative, took ownership to drive the outcomes, and worked with our team to get things done, training our team members on their practices, which allowed us to be independent.

Their human-centred approach transformed our operations and empowered our teams to deliver better patient care. The impact has been phenomenal.”
– James, Chief Digital Officer.