Taking charge of one’s health requires more than a patient’s motivation and willingness; a proactive and timely response is also needed on the healthcare professional’s part. To fill in this gap in the Philippines’ healthcare system, Asian Hospital and Medical Center (AHMC) offers shorter turnaround time (TAT) for radiology, routine laboratory tests, and electrocardiogram (ECG). Outpatients can now claim test results as soon as two hours after the procedure.
Waiting for 10 hours to get a common x-ray result is seen as normal in the country. This means that a patient has to go to the clinic or hospital twice before proceeding with the diagnostic and treatment.
“We observed that while there are some patients who have no problems goiqng back to the hospital to claim radiology results, others need to endure a long and uncomfortable commute. This is an unnecessary inconvenience and an added financial burden which lead patients to postpone their consult with the doctor. This does not only discourage patients from being proactive with their health, it also threatens their condition and well-being. We want to change that,” Dr. Shirard Adiviso, AHMC’s Director for Ancillary Services.
“Quality and patient safety is always our priority. We believe that by making our turnaround time shorter, we empower our patients to take charge of their health. In return, they learn to be proactive in their care and become better partners in ensuring patient safety,” he said.
AHMC has the shortest turnaround time for radiology procedures, routine laboratory tests, and electrocardiogram (ECG) among the tertiary hospitals in Metro Manila.
“Asian Hospital’s Radiology and Pathology Departments, and Cardiac Center were able to achieve the two-hour TAT with the use of state-of-the-art machines, improved time management, effective systematic approaches, and continuous monitoring of the process,” he said.