UG Broka for online referrals and bookings

The need

In a day and age when the Internet has matured into the platform of choice for most business transactions, referrals and appointments in hospitals remain largely a matter of pen and paper. This is surprising since the security and confidentiality issues relevant to the medical profession have long been dealt with. Surely, an online appointment scheduling system does not require more security than e-banking. Moreover, many patients would love to use the internet to make their appointments.

The volume of referral and booking transactions in hospitals is substantial (close to one billion per year in the EU) and the traditional approach is outdated. It leads to red tape and is a source of wasted time and frustration for all parties involved: hospitals, referring physicians and patients. As in many industries, the elimination of the middle man would increase efficiency and lower costs in the healthcare field.

The solution

The UG Broka platform is integrated in the existing website or web portal of the customer, whether it is a hospital, HMO or healthcare community. It also integrates seamlessly with UltraGenda Pro. UG Broka consists of two portal applications, one for the referrers and one for the patients. Identification and authentication of users takes place via technology at the discretion of the customer.

Referring physicians have access to so-called ’referral protocols,’ defined by the relevant hospital department or clinic. Using an online dialogue these users are directed toward the appropriate appointment type and are able to refer the patient electronically. The patients can then telephone the hospital for their appointment, or vice versa.

But that is just the tip of the iceberg. If authorized, patients can pick up their referral and convert it into an appointment online. This is achieved via an interaction between UG Broka and UltraGenda Pro behind the screens. Patients that require regular visits to the hospital without referral (e.g. dialysis patients) can be granted direct access to the booking function. This approach can be restricted to one hospital or extend to several hospitals or even an entire HMO or healthcare community.

Features

• Referral protocols are made directly by the relevant department or clinic.
• Referring physicians complete the referral protocols and obtain (or are denied) instant authorization for referral and a unique ID.
• The referral is immediately stored in UltraGenda Pro and available for immediate or future scheduling.
• The patient can make his appointment via phone or online -in both cases the unique ID serves as the identifier.
• The department or clinic concerned can grant rights to specific patients (dialysis patients for example) to book certain appointment types online, without prior referral.
• Referred patients can be called up by the hospital for their appointments, rather than the traditional (opposite) way. Call centers can also play their role, when necessary.
• As an alternative route, the referring physician can immediately book the appointment for his patient after referral authorization.