Healthcare
7 min read

How C-Lab Eliminated Lines and Improved Patient Care in the Process

Cape Cod Healthcare Laboratory Services or “C-Lab” is a division of Cape Cod Healthcare, with multiple locations in eastern Massachusetts. C-Lab is staffed with technicians and phlebotomists highly skilled in blood draws and specimen collection
90%
Waiting Time Reduction
20%
Idle Time Reduction
15 m
Maximum Waiting Time

The Challenge

Until recently, receptionists at C-Lab were responsible for greeting patients, checking them in, noting their arrival, service, and departure times, and entering that information into the facility’s databases. But after an organizational restructuring eliminated receptionist roles, patients were asked to sign themselves in and record the time of their arrival.

“Without a receptionist, the phlebotomists—the lab workers that draw the patients’ blood—became responsible for several time-consuming tasks,” says Patricia Childs, supervisor at C-Lab. “We had skilled medical professionals spending precious time summoning patients and performing data entry. Not a sound approach.”

“We needed to collect and record that information to ensure a good patient experience with minimal wait times,” Childs says. “And we needed to be sure we were maximizing staff resources.”

While patients could sign themselves in, someone still had to balance appointments with walk-ins and ensure patients were seen in an orderly manner.

C-Labs needed an appointment scheduling and queue management solution that would help improve customer service, decrease wait times, streamline the input of data, and provide reporting that would help manage and optimize capacity.  

Office setting
Image caption goes here
Dolor enim eu tortor urna sed duis nulla. Aliquam vestibulum, nulla odio nisl vitae. In aliquet pellentesque aenean hac vestibulum turpis mi bibendum diam. Tempor integer aliquam in vitae malesuada fringilla.

Elit nisi in eleifend sed nisi. Pulvinar at orci, proin imperdiet commodo consectetur convallis risus. Sed condimentum enim dignissim adipiscing faucibus consequat, urna. Viverra purus et erat auctor aliquam. Risus, volutpat vulputate posuere purus sit congue convallis aliquet. Arcu id augue ut feugiat donec porttitor neque. Mauris, neque ultricies eu vestibulum, bibendum quam lorem id. Dolor lacus, eget nunc lectus in tellus, pharetra, porttitor.

"Ipsum sit mattis nulla quam nulla. Gravida id gravida ac enim mauris id. Non pellentesque congue eget consectetur turpis. Sapien, dictum molestie sem tempor. Diam elit, orci, tincidunt aenean tempus."

Tristique odio senectus nam posuere ornare leo metus, ultricies. Blandit duis ultricies vulputate morbi feugiat cras placerat elit. Aliquam tellus lorem sed ac. Montes, sed mattis pellentesque suscipit accumsan. Cursus v

Ready to Learn More
Get a demo
Read about our privacy policy.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

The Challenge

Until recently, receptionists at C-Lab were responsible for greeting patients, checking them in, noting their arrival, service, and departure times, and entering that information into the facility’s databases. But after an organizational restructuring eliminated receptionist roles, patients were asked to sign themselves in and record the time of their arrival.

“Without a receptionist, the phlebotomists—the lab workers that draw the patients’ blood—became responsible for several time-consuming tasks,” says Patricia Childs, supervisor at C-Lab. “We had skilled medical professionals spending precious time summoning patients and performing data entry. Not a sound approach.”

“We needed to collect and record that information to ensure a good patient experience with minimal wait times,” Childs says. “And we needed to be sure we were maximizing staff resources.”

While patients could sign themselves in, someone still had to balance appointments with walk-ins and ensure patients were seen in an orderly manner.

C-Labs needed a unified appointment and queue management solution that would help improve customer service, decrease wait times, streamline the input of data, and provide reporting that would help manage and optimize capacity.  

Woman looking at phone

The Solution

C-Lab needed a unified appointment and queue management solution that could manage both appointments and walk-ins, leveraging information derived from patient visits. This data provides valuable, real-time insights about lines, locations, productivity, and workflow that helps businesses improve internal efficiencies.

QLess was a perfect fit for C-Labs as it has been shown to:

  • Simplify check-ins and eliminate hard-to-read sign-in sheets
  • Replace manual processing of large amounts of data
  • Provide reporting via Excel spreadsheets that allow users to sort the data in any way necessary
  • Provide valuable reporting on staff efficiency

QLess analytics allow facilities to measure service and employee performance and to compare results across locations. Customers can make an appointment, walk into a clinic, or remotely join the wait list, receiving text updates as to when they’ll be served.

With over 150 features, QLess met C-Lab’s requirements and played a significant role in improving the facility’s overall business operations.

“The staff absolutely loves QLess because you can manage patient visits from a single location.”
PATRICIA CHILDS
Supervisor

Capabilities & Results

Complete Visibility

Everybody can see the QLess system, the number of patients waiting and each one’s place in the queue. Patients are now summoned via QLess rather than a clipboard.

Real Time Analytics

“I use QLess reporting features to get a clearer idea of staffing needs, so I can adjust budgets and schedules,” says Childs.  The ability to identify trends gives me insight into future requirements and highlights areas we need to streamline.”

Performance

QLess gives C-Labs visibility into each phlebotomist’s job performance. “Any kind of under-performance can alert me to a problem,” says Childs.

90%

Reduction in Waiting Time

90%

Reduction in Waiting Time

90%

Reduction in Waiting Time

“In some ways, QLess fills the roles of receptionist, secretary, and data entry for us. And my staff quickly came to depend on it.”    

PATRICIA CHILDS
Supervisor

Ready to Join the Patient Care Revolution?

Hear from our team what has worked for organizations like yours.