Case Study: Repurposing Local Resources — How a Clinic Cut Admin Approval Times by 70%
Operational friction harms patient flow. This case study shows how a community clinic applied simple automation and policy design to reduce approval times and increase capacity.
Case Study: Repurposing Local Resources — How a Clinic Cut Admin Approval Times by 70%
Hook: Back-office approval processes can create hidden delays for patient access. This case study shows pragmatic automation and policy changes that delivered measurable capacity gains in 2025–26.
Problem statement
A multi-site clinic network faced long delays approving referrals and repeat-herbal prescriptions. Approval times averaged five days, leading to rescheduled appointments and increased no-shows.
Approach and interventions
- Map the existing process and locate decision bottlenecks.
- Introduce rule-based automation for low-risk approvals.
- Implement micro-incentives for timely staff triage using an ethical playbook (Case Study: Recruiting Participants with Micro‑Incentives).
- Introduce simple UI changes in the admin portal to reduce cognitive load and speed approvals.
Results
Within three months approval times dropped from five days to 36 hours on average. Patient rebooking fell and clinician satisfaction improved because they spent less time chasing admin tasks.
Operational playbook
- Start small: Automate only clearly low-risk decisions first.
- Measure impact: Track both time and downstream patient outcomes.
- Governance: Ensure an appeals path where staff can override automated decisions.
Why this scales
The process is replicable across many small clinics because the core intervention is policy plus simple automation. A similar case study highlighted how Acme Corp cut approval times by 70% in a corporate setting, and those principles are transferable to clinical admin workflows (Case Study: Acme Approval Times).
Ethical considerations
Automation must be transparent to patients and clinicians. Avoid opaque rejections and provide clear reasons and escalation paths.
Next steps for teams
- Run a 2-week process mapping exercise.
- Identify three low-risk decisions to automate.
- Define KPIs and monitor weekly for 12 weeks.
Author: Claire Morgan — Operations consultant who led the automation rollout described in this case study.