Inside Healthcare – Episode 4: Remco Hoogendijk on the Redesign of Pre-Operative Screening

About this episode

In this episode, we speak with Remco Hoogendijk, Innovation Manager at Sint Maartenskliniek, about the redesign of pre-operative screening processes. The conversation focuses on how hospitals can modernize traditional screening workflows to better prepare patients for surgery, reduce administrative burden, and improve data quality for clinical decision-making.

Remco shares practical lessons from implementing innovation in complex healthcare environments, where clinical workflows, IT systems, and patient engagement must align to make redesign efforts successful.

Why pre-operative screening needs redesign

Pre-operative screening is a critical step in ensuring patient safety and optimal surgical outcomes. Yet in many organizations, these processes remain fragmented, paper-based, or insufficiently integrated into digital care pathways. This often leads to duplicated data entry, incomplete patient information, and unnecessary workload for clinical staff.

Redesigning screening means moving from isolated questionnaires and manual triage toward structured, digitally supported workflows that fit seamlessly into the perioperative care pathway.

From manual intake to structured, digital preparation

A key theme in the interview is the shift from traditional intake models to structured digital screening that captures relevant patient information earlier and more consistently. By collecting standardized data before the hospital visit, care teams gain earlier insights into risks, comorbidities, and preparation needs.

This enables:

• Better risk stratification before surgery

• More efficient pre-operative consultations

• Reduced last-minute cancellations or delays

• Improved patient engagement and preparedness

The redesign is not just about digitizing forms, but about rethinking the entire workflow around when, where, and how patient data is captured and used.

Implementation lessons from clinical practice

Remco emphasizes that successful redesign requires close collaboration between clinicians, innovation teams, and IT partners. Technology alone does not solve workflow challenges; it must be embedded in daily practice and aligned with existing hospital systems and governance structures.

Key lessons include:

• Start with the clinical workflow, not the technology

• Capture structured data once and reuse it across the care pathway

• Engage both clinicians and patients in the redesign process

• Iterate gradually and validate changes in real clinical settings

Towards a more proactive perioperative care pathway

Redesigning pre-operative screening supports a broader shift toward proactive, data-driven perioperative care. When screening data is captured in a structured and interoperable way, it becomes easier to share insights across departments and support coordinated decision-making from intake to recovery.

This ultimately contributes to safer surgeries, more efficient use of clinical capacity, and a better experience for both patients and care teams.

Watch the full interview

Watch the full conversation with Remco Hoogendijk to learn how pre-operative screening can be redesigned to better support surgical workflows, patient preparation, and data-driven care delivery.

Want to see similar pre-operative use cases in practice?

Curious how structured screening questionnaires, hybrid care pathways, and interoperable data flows can support pre-operative workflows in your organization?

Request a tailored demo to explore relevant use cases — from digital pre-operative intake and risk screening to integrated data exchange with hospital EHR systems and patientportals.