Staying in Control of Letter Processing at The Simpson Centre & Penn Surgery

At The Simpson Centre & Penn Surgery, managing clinical correspondence was becoming increasingly difficult to sustain.

As the volume of incoming letters grew, so did the pressure on the admin team. The practice aimed to maintain a two-day turnaround, but in reality, backlogs regularly stretched to four days. Staff were constantly working to catch up, and the existing workflow was no longer keeping pace with demand.

We spoke with Katie Lewis, Operations and Admin Lead at The Simpson Centre & Penn Surgery, about how the practice reshaped its approach to document processing with BetterLetter.

Before BetterLetter: A Workflow That Wasn’t Holding Up

Before introducing BetterLetter, the practice relied on a two-step process to manage incoming correspondence.

Letters were filed quickly to ensure they appeared in the patient record, with the intention of returning later to complete coding and add detail. In practice, that second step was often delayed.

Katie explains:

“There was always a sense of catching up.”

Over time, this led to inconsistent records, reduced visibility of key patient information, and a growing administrative burden.

The team was also dealing with avoidable errors. Documents were occasionally filed against the wrong patient, requiring time-consuming corrections and adding further pressure to an already stretched workflow.

Introducing AI Carefully and Gradually

When BetterLetter was first introduced, there was some hesitation across the team.

“Everyone’s a bit scared of AI,” Katie says. “The main concern was whether it would actually get things right.”

Rather than implementing a full rollout immediately, the team took a gradual approach. They started by processing small batches of letters, reviewing outputs carefully, and building confidence before scaling usage.

This allowed the team to stay in control while understanding how the system worked in practice.

From Creation to Verification

One of the biggest changes was not just the tool itself, but the way the team worked.

Previously, staff were responsible for identifying codes and structuring information manually. With BetterLetter, that process shifted.

“It’s like flipping your brain,” Katie explains. “Before, we had to find the codes ourselves. Now, we just check what’s already there and confirm.”

The role of the team moved from creation to verification.

This reduced cognitive load, improved consistency, and allowed decisions to be made more quickly.

The team’s first impression?

Katie shared: 

“The team and myself found BetterLetter actually really fun, which you don’t often hear about any form of work processes. But it is so colorful and interactive, it kind of feels like a game when you’re doing it. So the team found it really fun, nice and straightforward. The fact that you can use BetterLetter in so many different ways depending on how you want to, whether you use protocols or want to go through on the table side, you can use it in a way that suits you.”

Clearing the Backlog Without Increasing Headcount

Once the team became comfortable with this new approach, the impact was immediate.

Processing became faster.
Consistency improved.
The backlog reduced and then disappeared.

Importantly, this was achieved without increasing headcount. The practice was able to absorb growing demand while maintaining a steady and manageable workflow.

Improving Coding Quality and Supporting Training

The benefits extended beyond speed.

Coding became more consistent, with BetterLetter’s suggestions providing a reliable starting point for review.

“Generally, the coding is a lot clearer,” Katie says. “The AI just knows what codes to use.”

This also had a noticeable impact on training.

New team members were able to learn by reviewing and validating suggestions, rather than relying solely on prior experience. What was previously a steep learning curve became a more structured and accessible process.

Better Visibility and Team Momentum

BetterLetter also introduced greater visibility into day-to-day processing.

With clear insight into how many letters had been completed, the system naturally encouraged productivity across the team.

“You’ll see someone’s done 73, and you’ve only done 20,” Katie explains. “And then you just speed up.”

This visibility helped create a sense of momentum, while giving the team a clearer understanding of workload and progress.

A System That Supports the Workflow

Alongside these improvements, the platform removed several manual workarounds that had previously added friction.

Tasks that once required additional tracking and follow-up could now be handled directly within the workflow, and features such as protocols and the ability to view other letters for a patient make day-to-day processing more straightforward.

The team also highlighted the responsiveness of BetterLetter’s support.

“The communication is amazing,” Katie says. “If there’s something we need, it gets looked into.”

Feedback from the practice has been actively incorporated into product improvements, reinforcing a collaborative relationship.

A Sustainable Way of Working

Today, BetterLetter is fully embedded in the practice’s daily operations.

Workflows are more consistent, and the team is more confident in how they approach document processing. What was once a reactive, backlog-driven task is now a structured and manageable part of the day.

The system has also continued to adapt alongside the practice’s needs, reinforcing its role as a long-term solution rather than a short-term fix.

Looking ahead, Katie is clear about its place in the practice.

“We’ll definitely be using BetterLetter long-term,” she says. “Forever, as long as it goes.”

A Practical Shift in How Work Gets Done

What changed at The Simpson Centre & Penn Surgery was not just speed, but the structure of the work itself.

By moving away from a fragmented two-step process to a more consistent, single-pass workflow with review built in, the practice has been able to reduce backlogs, improve coding consistency, and better support the team as demand has grown.

The result is not just a faster process, but a more controlled and sustainable way of working.

For practices facing similar challenges, the takeaway is straightforward. Improving document processing is not just about doing the same work more quickly, but about rethinking how that work is structured in the first place.

Email hello@betterletter.ai to find out how BetterLetter can support your team.