Applying clinical process redesign methods to planned arrivals in New South Wales hospitals.

*Competing demands of planned and unplanned arrivals present major challenges for hospitals. *Applying clinical process redesign methods to the planned patient journey allows management to recognise the blocks and inefficiencies in the journey and facilitates the development of solutions for improvement. *Redesign of the planned patient journey in New South Wales has promoted the expansion of the extended day-only model of care, reformed the waiting times policy, standardised patient preadmission assessment and preparation, and targeted operating theatre use. *Improved performance management at Area Health Service and local facility levels has accompanied the redesign of planned arrival processes. *The results in redesign of surgery undertaken by the Area Health Services in 96 NSW hospitals have been impressive, with results within 2 years of commencing the clinical services redesign program showing: a 97% reduction in the numbers of patients in Category 1 (admission desirable within 30 days) whose surgery was overdue, from 5308 in January 2005 to 135 in June 2007; and a 99% reduction in the number of patients who have waited > 365 days for surgery, from 10 551 in January 2005 to 84 in June 2007. *Improved surgical service efficiency, safety and quality justify the continuation of the redesign program.