MRI Scheduling Case Study: 250 Orders Waiting, and Patients Walking Away

The orders were in the queue. The patients were leaving.

MRI scheduling looks like a phone task. In practice, it is a checking task first. The order, the screening form, the authorization and the machine all have to line up before anyone calls the patient.

The practice before DataMatrix

An orthopedic group of more than 30 providers across two locations received MRI orders as tasks in its TouchWorks EHR. Staff couldn’t keep up with the calls needed to schedule them.

The queue grew to more than 250 orders, some waiting more than 20 days. Patients who weren’t reached in time took their care to a different practice.

The volume we handled

• Backlog at the start: more than 250 MRI orders
• Daily volume: about 20 MRI orders worked per day by one virtual assistant
• Orders held at a checkpoint before calling: about 5 a day, for missing screening answers or red flags
• Follow-up visits: booked for nearly every MRI; only one or two patients a day choose to schedule later or already have one
• Locations scheduled for: two

How we structured MRI scheduling support

One dedicated virtual assistant works the MRI queue in TouchWorks during the practice’s business hours (Eastern time), with a trained backup for emergency coverage. Every order passes the same checkpoints, in order, before the patient is called:

1. Order matches the note. The body part and side on the order are checked against the ordering provider’s visit note. A mismatch goes back to the provider’s team to correct.
2. Screening questionnaire is complete. The virtual assistant confirms the MRI safety screening form is scanned into the chart and every question is answered.
3. Red flags are reviewed. Pacemakers, implanted devices, metal in the body and other red flags are sent to the right department for clarification and scheduled under a separate protocol. Patients who report claustrophobia are booked on the wide-bore MRI, with the reason documented so the exam lands on the right machine.
4. Authorization is settled. The virtual assistant confirms an approved authorization is on file, or that the payer clearly lists the exam as no authorization required (NAR).
5. Only then, the call. The patient is contacted and the MRI scheduled, with any prep instructions from the imaging site.
6. The follow-up is booked too. In the same call, the patient’s follow-up visit is scheduled within 14 days of the scan.
7. Confirmations and reminders. Patients receive a confirmation when they’re booked and reminders before their appointments.

The practice receives a daily report: patients reached, MRIs scheduled, follow-ups scheduled and orders still open.

The results

Source: DataMatrix Medical internal data.

Patients now leave the call with both appointments set, and the client is happy with the pace and the care taken before every call.

One request up close: the pacemaker with no model number

The screening said pacemaker. It didn’t say which one.

The case

A patient of a 30-plus provider orthopedic group had an MRI order in the scheduling queue. The patient’s screening questionnaire noted a pacemaker, but not its model.

Why this request was at risk

Pacemakers and other electrically active implants are labeled either MR Conditional, meaning a scan is considered safe only under specific conditions, or MR Unsafe. Without the manufacturer and model, the imaging site can’t look up which label applies or confirm the scan is safe. Booked as a routine MRI, the patient could have been turned away on scan day, or worse.

Source: FDA, Testing and Labeling Medical Devices for Safety in the Magnetic Resonance (MR) Environment

What our team checked

• Is a device listed on the screening questionnaire?
• Are the manufacturer and model documented?
• Has the imaging site cleared the patient for this device?

What we did

The virtual assistant held the order rather than booking it, called the patient and collected the pacemaker details by phone. They triaged the information with the radiology technologist, obtained clearance, and then scheduled the MRI under the separate device protocol.

A question for your team

How many MRI orders in your queue are more than a week old?

More from this series: see all three virtual assistant case studies.

This case is drawn from a real engagement our virtual assistant team supports, and the example from a real request we handled. We removed identifying details to protect client and patient privacy. Workflows, payer and facility policies vary, so the same steps will not produce the same result in every case. This article is educational and is not legal, billing, or clinical advice.