This paper investigates the improvement of the hospitalisation admission process of elective inpatients by delay announcement to free patients from blind and long wait, a phenomenon often observed in top Chinese hospitals. We propose a formal simulation model in which relevant resource requirements during the hospitalisation of a patient are represented by an original ‘multistage treatment model’. Other key components of the formal model include impatience of patients, resource capacities and key performance indicators such as the original concept of waiting time visibility. Through sensitivity analysis of the simulation model, we demonstrate the benefits of delay announcement and the value of our ‘multistage treatment model’.