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Introduction to Medical Sector An Effective Telecoms Platform o Control your telephone system remotely o Integrate your Medical CRM Staff Collaboration using Unified Communications o Patient Engagement Telecom & Data Network Security o Wi-Fi & Internet Access o Data Networks o Smartphone Video Consultations Effective Use of Secure Mobile Phones/Devices o Mobile Device Management o Machine 2 Machine Technology Video Conferencing Medical Solutions o Telemedicine o Patient Centred Care
“Matrix247 provides excellent support, with Warren providing outstanding customer service. We have had many instances where we have needed to tweak the system, and all have been accommodated with professionalism and efficiency.” Jerry Brees, Practice Manager, Fishergate Hill Surgery
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Introduction to Medical Industry‌ GP surgeries and health centres require a friendly, prompt and efficient service. When patients are calling with concerns they will expect a quick response to their call, therefore the telephony solution that is chosen must accommodate these requirements. Matrix247 Medical have developed, along with key partners in the fields of telephony, mobile devices, datanetworks, security solutions and video conferencing, solutions that significantly decrease unnecessary stress & pressure on practice staff, whilst improving their efficiency‌ naturally improving patient handling & communication. We also use UK data centres which is a key requirement for the NHS. The question is, how can staff cope with the extended hours and extra workload they are expected to honour with the increased pressure being put on them?
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Reduce ‘Did Not Attends’ –Provide your patients a greater choice of suitable appointment times. This reduces the number of ‘did not attends’. Appointments are automatically confirmed in seconds by text message, automatically sending the patient a text reminder 24 hours prior to the appointment. Your patients will also have a 24/7 access line to self-cancel or move their appointment time.
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Integrate Existing Clinical Database – Allow your patients to self-check-in on arrival with a touch screen monitor or telephone, meaning morning congestion on the reception phone is immediately relived. Integration with the patient call system allows announcements to the waiting room whilst displaying the free practitioners name and room. All key personal, practice managers and practitioners can collect personal voicemails remotely 24/7 if required.
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Ease Stress & Pressure on Receptionists – The greatest volume of calls occur within the first half-hour of a surgery opening. Combine this with a queue of patients and the result is the most stressful and least favourite part of the receptionist’s day. It is also the most common reason for staff leaving. Let patients self-book their own appointments the previous evening or overnight automatically. Patients can simultaneously book, move or cancel their appointments 24/7.
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Reduce Communication Costs – Multi-site practices can take advantage of voice and data over the internet (VoIP & SIP) to reduce costs even further. Call management software comes fully integrated with our telephony solutions, providing greater cost control for each practice.
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Improve Work-life Balance for GPs & Staff – Providing a flexible patient self-booking system reduces the requirement of GP practices to open at weekends. This saves extra overhead expenses, energy and reduces salary bills. It also improves the work-life balance for GPs and staff which often has a negative impact on morale. The self-booking system reduces the security concerns linked to staff safety in mainly empty premises. All these factors would in turn reduce the requirement for further resource and support from local healthcare services.
Did You Know? •
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Missed patient appointments average 23-34% for medical practices nationwide, with a significant loss of income as a result. Automated outbound patient notification calls reduce patient no-shows by more than 30%
Sources: Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) 5
An Effective Telecoms Platform The last thing healthcare professionals want is to cause upset or stress to patients or staff by delivering a frustrating telephone experience, yet that is exactly what an inadequate system can create. Many calls within a surgery could require urgent attention. An effective telephony system can ensure certain calls can be prioritised and patients are not left waiting on hold for long periods of time, particularly in an emergency. Our solutions help ease the ever-increasing pressure placed on reception staff while streamlining day-to-day tasks.
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Benefits include: •
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Intelligent call handling to utilise back-room staff at peak times to help minimise workload and route calls to specific staff members. Auto attendant greets the caller, e.g. with a message saying their call will be answered and ensures they aren’t left listening to a ring tone. It helps cut down the amount of time patients spend waiting in queues, as patient’s enquiries for opening hours and other information can be answered. Recorded messages to pass on vital information to patients, e.g. out-of-hours contact numbers or the surgery’s opening hours. Dedicated appointment mailbox to allow patients to cancel appointments at any time. Call recording used to train and coach new staff. Also, the doctor or nurse can have the ability to record the entire call. Call reporting software to analyse the number of calls, average daily waiting times, numbers of calls lost, etc. Call queueing allows patient’s calls to be queued before they are delivered to a handset at the practice. Receptionist console helps reduce the time it takes for a call to come in and be transferred to the necessary department or individual. ‘Presence’ allows the receptionist to check who is available before transferring the call. Disaster recovery plan such as failing over to another number ensures no calls are missed. 7
We design solutions suitable for GP surgeries on the brink of federating, forming localities or wanting to link together as per their Clinical Commissioning Groups.
Control your telephone system remotely Our hosted telephone systems enable practice managers to log onto a web portal from anywhere they have an internet connection to record a new greeting message. They can also re-direct calls to other numbers, such as a home number or a mobile, so staff that cannot get into the surgery can take calls in case of an emergency. A cloud-hosted telephone system can also help GPs who cannot physically attend their appointments. Where relevant, they can call their patients from home but the number displayed to the patient is the surgery’s, not the GPs personal number.
“Matrix247 has provided our Telephony and Cloud based system for over 5 years, as a Community based Charity, effective and efficient systems are really important to make sure we keep in contact with our service users, this combined with a professional service and competitive pricing mean that Matrix247 are our contractors of choice.� Gavin Williams, Trafford Carers
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Integrate your Medical CRM General practice systems like EMIS, SystmOne and Vision hold real-time patient data providing one-click access to vital information. This improves the efficiency of all staff while maximising your Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) points. And with more points on board, GP surgeries will be eligible for improved financial rewards. The advantages of using a medical system like EMIS and Vision is clear so the fact that we can integrate it with our cloud-hosted telephone system is of huge benefit. If GP surgeries can initiate calls from these records and see screen pops of records when they receive incoming calls, conversations will be smoother, more informed and more efficient. Coupled with the statistics that our solution provides, practice managers can schedule their staff numbers appropriately during the busiest call traffic times, while call queuing technology, including announcements of where patients are in the queue, will ensure there are no missed calls. Integration can keep a record of call history and interactions with patients.
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Benefits in summary: • • • • •
Click to dial – for a better customer experience Caller preview – to route calls quickly and efficiently Automatic popping of the EMIS/Vision contact page – for instant access to information Reliable and scalable – to ensure patients and doctors can communicate at all times Secure solution – to comply with NHS requirements
Matrix247 can also integrate its hosted telephony solution with the alternative CRM, SystmOne, and with the appointment booking service Patient Partner. With a hosted solution surgeries/medical centres can handle many calls (e.g. 25 calls) at the same time and reassures patients that their call is going to be picked up with an auto-attendant, so they don’t experience an engaged tone.
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Staff Collaboration using Unified Communications (UC) Patients today have many choices of healthcare providers, and they have high expectations of their patient experience. With the capability to seamlessly integrate collaboration applications no matter the device or location, UC can improve staff and patient communications and overall hospital productivity. Use a range of helpful tools such as: • • • •
Voice and video conferencing Document sharing Instant messaging Availability Visibility
We assist in keeping staff connected with the same user experience – mobile or desktop. These all help to improve the speed and ease of communication regardless of location or the device being used. A great aid with automating clinical workflows.
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Patient Engagement Ensuring that patients follow discharge orders, attend follow-up appointments and engage in other posttreatment activities requires hospitals to offer technology interventions that allow patients to efficiently participate in their care and collaborate with their providers.
Patient Portals • • • •
UC enhances patient portals with telephony features Patients can utilise convenient call back or live web chat tools Hospitals improve patient engagement across all points of care Result: Patients and providers are more engaged
Automated Notifications • • •
UC can automate outbound reminder calls and other notifications Patients receive timely reminders of appointments Result: Hospitals proactively engage patients and lower re-admission rates
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Telecom & Data Network Security Keep control of your call costs and enjoy the benefits of: • • •
Fraud management Line care guarantee Local UK based support desk with our lines and minutes service
By logging into our web portal, you can manage your call traffic at any time. We can provide your health centre with DDI (direct dial-in) numbers to relieve the stress on reception staff and reduce call costs to mobiles to keep your bills to a minimum while ensuring disaster recovery options are embedded within each solution delivered. Wi-Fi & Internet Access Whether you want to offer Wi-Fi in your waiting rooms or want to link critical services e.g. nurse call, alarms or paging services, our experts can design a strong solution that will meet your immediate requirements whilst building in flexibility to accommodate mid and long-term needs. Data Networks We design and implement a range of wired and wireless secure data networks to link multiple sites and allow flexible working.
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Smartphone Video Consultations A 24-hour service has been launched for NHS patients, offering GP consultations via video link on smartphones.* This scheme is initially covering 3.5 million patients in greater London. This provides patients the ability to check their symptoms through the mobile app and have video consultations with a doctor within two hours of booking. The scheme not only relies on patients using smartphones and tablets, but also on their internet connectivity. This initiative could be an ideal solution for rural parts of the UK where the distance to a surgery, hospital or clinic is an issue, but these are often the areas where internet connectivity speeds and reliability is poor. The available internet connectivity not only has to be robust enough for the patient but for the GP surgery too. Even if the patient can benefit from the rollout of fibre broadband or the growing number of 4G masts going up around the country, if the surgery has limited connectivity, then this initiative is destined to fail. It is maddening enough to suffer the frozen pictures or disconnected links on a social video call, but it could be very distressing for a patient trying to describe their symptoms or attempting to listen to their doctor’s advice.
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This is the time for GP surgeries to test their internet connectivity and upgrade to an improved and reliable internet solution to ensure patients can benefit from these video link consultations. It may even be worth investing in a separate connection for these video calls. The return on the investment to the surgery will be easy to measure in terms of decreased face-to-face appointments, waiting times and wasted appointments. * http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-41884142
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Effective Use of Secure Mobile Phones/Devices To best optimise the exchange of patient information and treatments between medical sector professionals, staff must collaborate efficiently, effectively and securely. Most healthcare professionals are already using their own mobile devices to text co-workers about job-related topics. Texting is an extremely fast and efficient way to communicate on the job. It helps staff avoid the delays and frustrations associated with unanswered phone calls and telephone tag. However, unless texting capabilities are implemented in a way that complies with regulatory requirements, these communications can put information security and privacy at risk. Clinicians enjoy a dual persona: one device – two numbers – work and personal. This is done securely with mobile device management. This means your personal data (e.g. images, videos, texts) is on a separate part of your mobile device and your work information (e.g. patient records, emails) is kept in a password protected part of your mobile device meaning patient details and clinical data is secure.
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Mobile Device Management (MDM) MDM is enabling IT to control the securing, monitoring, integrating and managing of mobile devices such as smartphones/tablets/laptops in the workplace/GP surgery. It’s a necessity for all companies; small, medium and large, who have a mobile workforce and are conscious about security. The purpose of MDM is to optimise the functionality and security of mobile devices, whilst also protecting the network and any medical data that has been downloaded or synced to the mobile device. The security, protection and management of mobile devices couldn’t be more important right now as organisations face multiple challenges deploying smartphones to their workforce. With mobile device attacks on the rise, there is a common risk of confidential data falling into the wrong hands. For the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), MDM is yet another area that the IT department needs to consider. How do you ensure compliance of GDPR when staff and physicians access data out of the office?
Did You Know? 73% send and receive work-related texts UNSECURELY 90% of staff bring their personal smart devices to work 1000 physicians surveyed – 95% frequently use text messages UNSECURELY • Multi-professional care teams spend at least 25% of their time on comms-based activities. 17 Sources: KLAS Wireless Security Report, KU Medical School Survey, Spyglass Consulting Report and Fierce Mobile Healthcare. • • •
Why does your practice need Mobile Device Management? •
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Security - Safeguard your medical data by detecting security threats e.g. non-compliant and jailbroken devices. Control - Manage issues of security, complexity and bring-your-own-device in mobile environments. Confidence - Satisfaction that your patient records are secure. Tracking - Keep track of staff with device location, identification map and 24/7 visibility of hardware information and device details including model, serial number, version and operating system. Remote manage your medical mobile devices - Via the online portal so you can view all employee devices and configure them remotely. Instant Messaging - Communicate with your staff instantly. Preserve company data - Have the ability to remotely wipe devices containing any confidential patient data. Business management reporting - Helping you understand device hardware, software and agent usage. Expense Management - Monitor data usage in realtime and set alerts accordingly.
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Machine 2 Machine Technology Machine-to-machine, or M2M, describes any technology that enables networked devices to exchange information and perform actions without the manual assistance of humans. In telemedicine, M2M devices can enable the real-time monitoring of patients' vital statistics, dispensing medicine when required, or tracking healthcare assets. On the next page are some examples of M2M technology and how it can benefit your surgery.
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Pillboxes with embedded sensors report to a doctor if the patient is taking their medications on time and correctly. The device knows if a pill has been removed from the box and helps prevent accidental overdose. The device can also be programmed for family members to receive alerts if a loved one has forgotten to take their medicine.
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A SIM card linked to a thermometer in a fridge containing medicine in a surgery or hospital can be monitored remotely and have alerts sent when there is any change in temperature. The fridge can then be checked, and medication moved if required, meaning there’s less risk of the medication being spoiled and having to be destroyed.
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Internal heart rate monitors or those worn by the patient can be monitored at home instead of staying in hospital. Readings can be sent back to the hospital to be analysed. This can also be used where patients are required to take their own blood pressure and send the readings back to their doctor.
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Video Conferencing Medical Solutions Matrix247 have partnered with Polycom, who delivers more than 25,000 patient encounters per month worldwide – saving time, money and lives. Healthcare organisations all over the world are turning to Polycom video collaboration solutions to improve care and reduce cost. Collaborative healthcare solutions enable telemedicine, patient centred care, multi-disciplinary team support, reduction of unnecessary re-hospitalisations, and collaboration across the entire healthcare team independent of physical barriers. There are many reasons why eight of the top 10 hospitals and the top ten pharmaceutical companies worldwide are Polycom customers. Remote and rural healthcare organisations face not only the challenge of providing cost-effective quality care, but also making sure that there is access to experts, even if they are located miles away at a centre of excellence. They may face extreme weather conditions, or roads that become impassable during certain times of the year. Transporting patients to distant facilities may be impossible or extremely costly. Virtually connecting for care over video can save lives and maintain that healthcare service connection even if there is a physical separation.
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Healthcare solutions include: •
Enable collaboration across healthcare teams
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Better outcomes and more timely access to care
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Reduce unnecessary hospitalisations
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Educate patients and healthcare providers regardless of location
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Enable faster onboarding of new professionals
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Support better chronic disease management
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Support prevention and wellness programs
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Improve patient care by providing more convenient access to specialist expertise
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Provide better utilisation of specialists
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Survey, test, and confirm success of disease management programs
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Enable easier access to success metrics for auditing and confirmation of success
Telemedicine
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Telemedicine doctors can connect securely and easily with patients from their computers, personal devices or a video system. HD audio and video help simulate in-person experiences for telepsychiatry, speech therapy, telestroke exams and many other applications. Integration of Polycom solutions into EHR systems, such as EPIC, allows doctors or nurses to chart directly during a remote session. •
Reduce unnecessary re-hospitalisations utilising collaborative solutions from Polycom for case management, discharge planning and support of patients with chronic disease
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Enable live video collaboration between community health centres, hospitals, primary care physicians, specialists and patients
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Deliver expertise at a distance for specialty services like TeleStroke, TeleMental Health, and Primary Care
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Support experts on the go with mobility solutions that bring video to their tablets, and iPhones.
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Utilise collaborative video for correctional telemedicine to avoid costly, unnecessary and risky prisoner transports to hospital
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Support multi-disciplinary teams over live video to deliberate, and confer on patient cases
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Patient Centred Care Any organisation that has the responsibility for public health has an interest in anything that will make their programs more effective. Connecting directly to people in their homes and to community centres increases the chances of educating them about health. This in turn decreases patient morbidity and overall cost in the future. Have the ability to empower patients with information and provide access for better compliance and more informed decisions. Collaborative video solutions enable: • • •
Better discharge planning and transition of care, expert care in local health centres Improved collaboration with healthcare teams, peers and family Increased access to prevention and wellness programs
Benefits of Patient Centred Care Include: • • • • • •
Fewer re-hospitalisations, reducing cost Improved patient compliance and outcomes Decreased cost of care Better medication management with fewer errors Decreased development of chronic and acute diseases Enhanced hospital reputation 24
See our case studies online to see how we have helped other doctor surgery’s and care homes with their communications solutions to reduce Did Not Attends, Reduce Costs and Improve their Broadband Speeds. 25