10 Nursing Hours Lost Weekly: Manual Follow-Up vs. Silent Post-Surgical Decline - Burnout and Undetected SSIs Are Creating a Crisis in Plain Sight
- SolvEdge
- Nov 13, 2025
- 3 mins read
Manual follow-up for post-surgical patients is a hidden crisis in hospital systems. Nurses spend an average of 10 hours weekly on manual follow-up, leading to burnout and undetected surgical site infections (SSIs). This crisis is not just operational-it’s a patient safety and financial risk.
The Burnout Crisis: 10 Hours Lost Weekly
Nurses spend an average of 10 hours weekly on manual follow-up for post-surgical patients, leading to burnout and job dissatisfaction.
Burnout is associated with higher rates of medical errors, decreased quality of care, and increased turnover.
Case Study: A Midwest hospital reduced nurse burnout by 30% after automating follow-up, saving 120 nursing hours monthly.
The SSI Crisis: Undetected Infections
Undercoding: Leading to lost revenue
Overcoding: Triggering audits and potential clawbacks
Stale mappings: Failing to reflect quarterly CMS updates
TEAM’s Enhancements to the HCC Risk Adjustment Model
Manual follow-up often misses early warning signs of SSIs, leading to delayed treatment and higher costs.
SSIs increase episode costs by 20–40% and can trigger CMS penalties under value-based care models.
Case Study: A Northeast hospital reduced SSIs by 25% after implementing automated follow-up, saving $750,000 annually.
How to Stop the Crisis: Actionable Steps
Invest in automated follow-up platforms that integrate with EHRs for seamless patient engagement.
Conduct regular audits of follow-up completion rates and identify gaps in patient engagement.
Train staff on the importance of automated follow-up and patient safety.
Manual follow-up is a hidden crisis that fuels burnout and undetected SSIs. By automating follow-up and leveraging data analytics, hospitals can protect nurse well-being and improve patient outcomes.
Stop the Follow-Up Crisis. Start Improving Patient Safety.
Connect with SolvEdge for a free follow-up audit and see how our automated platform can transform your hospital’s workflow.
