KFSHRC Achieves Significant Reduction In Emergency Department Inpatient Bed Waiting Time By 75%

King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre (KFSHRC) in Riyadh has significantly reduced its emergency department boarding time. By mid-2025, the median time dropped from over 13 hours in 2023 to just 3.2 hours. This 75% reduction places the hospital among the top 5% of high-capacity academic medical centres globally for emergency boarding efficiency.

KFSHRC achieved this improvement through a comprehensive, data-driven process re-engineering program. This initiative targeted delays throughout the patient journey, from emergency department entry to inpatient admission. The AI-enabled Patient Flow and Capacity Command Centre played a crucial role by monitoring patient flow in real-time and predicting potential bottlenecks.

The hospital introduced new pathways allowing stable patients to be admitted directly from outpatient clinics, bypassing the emergency department. Additionally, morning discharges were accelerated, discharge medication processing was expedited, and laboratory and radiology diagnostics were streamlined. These measures collectively expanded inpatient capacity.

This expansion enabled KFSHRC to handle more complex cases like organ transplantation and CAR T-cell therapy. The hospital's flexible operating system is now better equipped to meet increasing demand while maintaining efficiency.

KFSHRC's achievements are particularly noteworthy given its scale, with over 1,500 beds dedicated to high-complexity care such as transplants, oncology, and immunotherapy. Optimizing inpatient throughput is crucial for ensuring patient safety and operational performance at this level.

The hospital plans to share its successful strategies with global peers through site visits, capacity planning collaborations, and structured performance benchmarking programs. This initiative aims to foster knowledge exchange and improve healthcare practices worldwide.

Accolades and Rankings

KFSHRC has been ranked first in the Middle East and North Africa region and 15th globally among the world's top 250 Academic Medical Centers for two consecutive years. It has also been recognized as the most valuable healthcare brand in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East according to Brand Finance's 2024 rankings.

Furthermore, Newsweek magazine included KFSHRC among the world's best 250 hospitals in 2024. It was also listed as one of the World's Best Smart Hospitals for 2025, highlighting its commitment to innovation and excellence in healthcare delivery.

With inputs from SPA