Measure where follow-up time actually goes.

Use these worksheet fields

Create one row per anonymized episode or observation period. Include date, pathway, role, task category, minutes, number of episodes covered, interruption minutes and a note explaining unusual work. Keep identifiable patient information out of the worksheet. Mark measured minutes separately from estimates.

Calculation and collection rules

• Total staff minutes = preparation + owner onboarding + review + communication + PIMS entry + correction time. Do not count the same interval twice.
• Minutes per episode = total staff minutes divided by comparable episodes completed in the period; report the episode count alongside the result.
• Estimated staff cost = the sum of each role’s recorded hours multiplied by that role’s agreed hourly cost. This is an internal estimate, not a billable saving.
• Record software subscription and setup separately. Spread setup cost across an explicitly chosen period if you compare ongoing cost.
• Sample ordinary days and busy days. Record pathway mix so a change in case complexity does not masquerade as a software effect.

Worked example with illustrative numbers

If a comparable group of 20 episodes takes 240 total staff minutes, the observed average is 12 minutes per episode. A later group of 20 taking 210 minutes averages 10.5 minutes. The difference is 30 minutes for that sample. It is not a proven Vetomo saving: check staffing, case mix, omitted tasks and one-off training before drawing a conclusion.

Make the comparison reproducible

Keep the original observations alongside the calculation. Decide in advance whether one row represents an episode, a single task or a shared review session. If a nurse reviews five episodes in one session, allocate that time once across the five; do not enter the whole session against every episode. If two people work simultaneously, their separate staff minutes both belong in the total.

A shorter average may hide work shifted to reception, owner support or later corrections. Review task categories before interpreting the result. Report the sample size, pathway mix, missing observations and any change to the process. Avoid projecting one unusually quiet week onto a full year.

• Agree a start and stop rule for each timed activity so colleagues measure the same thing.
• Separate initial training from ordinary work, while retaining it in the implementation cost.
• Keep observed time and estimated costs labeled distinctly; staff time released is not automatically cash saved.
• Use the results to decide which step needs attention, then repeat the same measurement after an agreed change.