Online patient portal improved convenience
Since its founding, Al Arif Hospital has been committed to offering specialized medical care and premium patient service. As the hospital services expanded and patient expectations evolved, its staff had difficulty handling call volume and appointment booking besides maintaining personal attention. With the digital modules suite of medical records, lab results, online patient portal, and other patient engagement services, the smart hospital can offer personalized technology, flexible appointments, and quality care to every patient. It also facilitates physicians to have better control over their scheduling and daily operations.
Patient experience Comes First using online patient portal
Al Arif hospital is one of the leading hospitals in the Trivandrum city of Kerala state. They provide Emergency Medical care around the clock. The hospital has an Ambulance, Theater Complex, Scanning services & full-fledged Labs working 24×7 to attend to any emergency or accident cases. There are also Out-Patient wings specialized in Gynecology, ENT, Orthopedics, General Surgery, Dermatology, Dentistry, Sports & Rehabilitation Medicine. Al Arif hospital is moving towards becoming one of the major centers of reference in Orthopaedics and Trauma care in the state of Kerala.
Al Arif hospital wants its patients to feel welcomed and to be well cared for. “Since our founding, Our professional obligation and mission are inclined towards providing reasonable treatments to underprivileged and marginalized sections of society,” says Dr. Shammas, a full-time orthopedic surgeon in practice.
It’s not an easy mission to achieve. Nowadays, if things aren’t convenient, patients feel there’s a problem. Also, patients expect immediate access to medical facilities, convenient appointments, and mobile-enabled technology.
Transformation to Smart hospital service
In 2015, the hospital implemented the online patient portal to enable self-service for those wanting to use the digital facilities offered. The Vikas patient portal software developed by Software Associates has its very own features. To date, over 43,000 patients and dependents have used the hospital portal to improve their hospital experience.
After a smooth transition to the Vikas 2.0 online patient portal, the first hindrance the system cleared was the large volume of daily calls. “We get thousands of phone calls a day. We couldn’t handle that many and provide excellent service to each person”, says the front desk administrator. Besides phone calls, it greatly reduces bottlenecks in the front office, thus eliminating rush hour queues by directing patients to use the portal software.
Patients have been bothered about the amount of time they had to wait before an appointment was available. Furthermore, a new generation of parents is bringing particularly high expectations when it comes to service.
Vikas 2.0 online patient portal software undoubtedly became valued addition in the transformation to a smart hospital. It gives Al Arif’s patients 24-hour access to its front desk to make any kind of appointment. The hospital front desk staff says, “If they get up in the middle of the night and needed treatment, they go on our portal, make an appointment, and we can see them at nine in the morning.”
Thanks to the hospital portal software, this new practice complements the hospital to deepen its relationships with patients and families.
What changes does the online patient portal software bring?
Al Arif’s patients started to use the patient portal to request refills, and referrals, seek consultations, and access their lab results. This resulted in lowering queries related to laboratory test results, which helped the hospital staff focus on key responsibilities. The online appointment feature helps the hospital optimize the daily schedule, giving patients convenient scheduling options while reducing work for the staff. This online appointment service reduces the number of phone calls to the front desk.
To supplement this, the hospital was also able to significantly reduce the wait time for new appointments. As per the hospital, the system reduced the appointment waiting time by 50% for non-urgent visits. It’s important for the hospital to offer such a level of service when a new patient wants to integrate with its practice.
Satisfaction for Providers and Patients
In fact, Vikas 2.0 online patient portal, the hospital can ensure a good care experience for both physicians and patients. According to the hospital workforce, the portal has helped them build and customize the entire clinical EMR experience. Moreover, the patient portal allows its patients to easily access their medical records through the hospital’s website.
The portal keeps the hospital’s quality of care top-notch and makes sure all its patients are seen when they need to be seen. The portal service succors in streamlining internal processes, ensuring all documentation works are prepared before the patient arrives at the hospital.
Having Vikas 2.0 online patient portal solutions in place has helped the hospital move staff into other areas that need more manpower. Ultimately, the inquiry staff can focus more of their time on higher-value work related to patient experience and public relations.
Also, Al Arif’s doctors enjoy the level of control they have over their daily schedules. A doctor said, “Ultimately, as a physician, I maintain control over my consultation schedule and know that our patients are getting appointments at their convenience.”
Moving Forth with online patient portal
Now, Al Arif hospital believes that it will be able to keep up with change, no matter what the future brings in healthcare. This system keeps the smart hospital on the cutting edge of technology and always moving forward. The hospital is ready to collaborate with Software Associates for future technology advancements as the practice evolves.
Best of all, it showed a significant improvement in patient engagement, resulting in an increase in goodwill for the hospital. The hospital is confident they can provide an excellent experience to patients. The hospital management says, “These patient portal services vocalize that we’re here for them, and they have a place to go when they need somewhere to go. That’s the vision of us, serving the excellence to ordinary men whenever they need it”.
Our hospital patient portal software solutions are available for hospitals in Ghana, Cameroon, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.
