Before you buy a better workflow, define the work.

1. Where does the request begin?

Choose an actual entry point: a patient question, a referral order, or a request from another practice. Identify the information already available and the information someone has to chase.

A clear starting point keeps the discussion about your work instead of a generic product tour.

2. Who owes the next action?

For every state in the workflow, name a person or team. Include work that has not been accepted, requests waiting on information, and patients who cannot be reached.

Ownership that only exists in a training document will be difficult to maintain in daily operations.

3. What does completion mean?

A response, an accepted referral, a booked appointment, and completed care are different outcomes. Choose the one you intend to improve and keep the intermediate steps visible.

4. What happens when a step fails?

Ask to see a request with missing records, an unavailable appointment, or a receiving practice that does not accept it. Who sees the exception? What context do they get? Can the request fall out of view?

5. What will the implementation actually include?

Agree on participating teams, systems, information flows, access rules, and current product availability. Include your security and implementation reviewers early.

Start with operational measures such as waiting time and completion. Claims about savings or clinical outcomes need an evaluation designed to answer those questions.