Hong Kong plans new digital platform to cut specialist clinic wait times by 25%

Patients with non-urgent conditions could have their waiting times at Hong Kong’s public specialist outpatient clinics reduced by a quarter under a new electronic platform being developed to improve efficiency, the Hospital Authority’s chief has revealed.

Libby Lee Ha-yun, who assumed the role of authority chief executive earlier this month, also said on Saturday that general outpatient clinics could extend their opening hours by five hours, until 10pm.

“We’re reviewing whether the process can be improved … by using a centralised electronic platform to ensure patients are given earlier slots to reduce their wait time. Our initial estimate is that this could shorten the wait time by a quarter,” Lee said.

She said appointment slots were previously allocated in a more informal manner that did not prioritise early availability. Lee added that improvements in staffing levels had enabled the authority to increase capacity and handle more appointments.

“For patients coming for a follow-up consultation who have mild conditions, can we refer them to family medicine? Then we can free up slots for the specialist outpatient clinics and take more patients,” she said.

Lee said the authority was also exploring whether certain treatments could be provided to patients while they waited, such as physiotherapists prescribing exercises to ease pain.