Intelligent tool for prioritization automates the distribution of cases at The Danish Patient Compensation

The challenge

Manual Processes Causing Delays in Case Management

The Danish Patient Compensation Association (Patienterstatningen) processes approximately 11,000 compensation claims annually from patients who have suffered injuries within the healthcare system or due to side effects from medication. Traditionally, four office managers manually prioritized and assigned these cases to individual lawyers, determining urgency and matching cases to appropriate personnel. This manual process was time-consuming and led to delays; on average, it took 30 days for a case to be assigned to a caseworker. Patienterstatningen recognized the need to streamline this process to reduce case accumulation and improve efficiency.

The process

Intelligent Automation for Smarter Case Prioritization and Distribution

To address these challenges, Patienterstatningen collaborated with twoday to develop an intelligent tool designed to automate the prioritization and distribution of cases. The solution, built by twoday kapacity, performs two primary functions:

1. Prioritization: The engine evaluates all incoming cases based on eight predefined parameters to determine their urgency. It reviews and updates the priority of each case hourly, ensuring that any changes in a case's status or the emergence of more urgent cases are promptly addressed.
   
   
2. Distribution: After prioritization, the engine assigns cases to appropriate caseworkers by assessing their qualifications and current workload. This automated distribution ensures a balanced and efficient allocation of cases, taking into account more data points than manual methods could handle.

The implementation began with a pilot project in one legal office to test and refine the system. Following its success, the engine was deployed across all legal offices within Patienterstatningen. Throughout the process, employee involvement was crucial to ensure the tool met the practical needs of its users. The system remains configurable, allowing for the addition of new parameters as needed, ensuring its adaptability to evolving requirements.

The result

From 30 Days to 2.5: A More Efficient and Fair System

The introduction of the automated prioritization and distribution engine has significantly improved Patienterstatningen's case management process. The average time for assigning a case to a caseworker has been reduced from 30 days to just 2.5 days. This efficiency gain has led to a more even case flow, minimizing case accumulation and benefiting both staff and patients. The system's ability to handle complex prioritization tasks rapidly ensures that urgent cases receive timely attention, and no cases are overlooked. Patienterstatningen continues to assess and optimize the engine, with plans to expand its application to other areas of case processing, further leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance their operations.