A four-level numeric priority system with clinical definitions for each category was implemented in 2011 to replace a traditional model for hospital imaging orders. Retrospective analysis was performed on imaging orders for three years (2011-2013) after implementation, to assess the order-to-performance time (OTPT), defined as the time between order placement by the provider and examination completion by the technologist. Consistency was measured by the length of the interquartile range for the OTPT distribution. Comparison was made to orders from the preimplementation year (2010), as a control.
The OTPT and OTPT consistency for performed examinations were both predictably stratified by order-priority level. Relative to control, we observed a reduction in the percentage of prioritized examinations, as well as modest general improvements in OTPT and OTPT consistency.
A revised order-priority system with ordinal categorizations and clinical definitions accompanying each priority level at order entry yielded desirable prioritization of imaging examination performance by technologists, as evidenced by appropriate stratification of turnaround times and consistency by level of priority.