CASE STUDY

Outpatient flow coordination at South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority

South‑Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority (SENRHA), the largest regional health authority in Norway, serves approximately 3.1 million people, covering nearly 57% of the Norwegian population across multiple counties.

It oversees 11 hospital trusts, employs over 85,000 staff and manages vast patient volumes across multiple care settings.

Background

Hospitals within the region are operationally complex, with significant scope for logistics improvements in patient flow and administrative workflows. In response, SENRHA initiated a regional roll‑out of DNV Imatis’ digital solutions to streamline patient check‑in, digital payments and logistics coordination across the trusts.

Challenges

Large-scale inefficiencies existed around reception desk bottlenecks, patient no‑shows, capacity planning, and the high volume of manual administrative tasks. Reliance on desk staff for check‑ins, incomplete information, and ad hoc communication increased delays, under‑utilised clinical capacity, and elevated costs.

Solution

Under two regional framework agreements, DNV Imatis delivered:

Self‑check‑in and payment services, allowing patients to register, update information, confirm arrivals, and pay via SMS link on their phone or at kiosks.
Patient flow and logistics applications, enabling digital coordination across departments, clinical areas and support services.
Integration with more than 20 systems including EHR/PAS, LAB, RIS/PACS, payment providers, SMS, and authentication services.

Key components

SMS-based appointment reminders and check‑in links sent ahead of appointments.
Authentication system for self-identification, consent and arrival confirmation.
Real‑time updates: arrivals, delays, clinician calling, queue and room status.
Digital payment via direct pay or electronic invoice after consultation.
Touch‑screen dashboards across wards, clinics and support services.
Mobile and large screen applications for tracking patient progress, service requests (e.g. cleaning, portering), and operational KPIs.

Results and outcomes

Reduced DNAs by 34%

Freeing clinician capacity and reducing waiting lists. The pilot estimated annual saving of 55,000 appointments once fully deployed.

More than 80% of patients now use digital self-check-in

Significantly easing front desk workload. Full rollout is expected to reach 4.8 million check-ins annually, with a target to reach 90% adoption.

Overall, manual front desk tasks have been reduced by 60%

Allowing administrative staff to support clinical teams and improve patient flow.

99% of patients pay via mobile

Enabling an estimated annual cost saving of €8,5 million through digital transaction processing.

Success factors

User‑friendly design, minimal training required and high patient uptake.
Strong leadership committed to realising benefits and scaling adoption.
Continuous improvement supported by real‑time KPI monitoring, enabling proactive adjustments and load balancing across hospitals.

For Norway’s largest health region, the digital transformation of self‑check‑in, payment and logistics workflows mark a step-change in operational efficiency. By eliminating friction in patient arrival and departure processes, the regional solution optimises capacity utilisation, reduces costs, and improves the patient and staff experience, building a solid foundation for future growth across trust sites. This regional implementation shows the value of structured, scalable digital platforms in addressing both daily operational needs and long-term strategic goals in public healthcare.

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