12th December 2019
A new partnership offering patients a ‘digital first’ experience has been announced by Healthcare Communications and Patients Know Best.
For healthcare providers, this integrates two leading health tech companies to offer patients what no one supplier can, ‘digital first’ interactions at every touchpoint of the patient journey – from referral to discharge.
With end to end digital management of everything from e-letters, mass registration, feedback surveys, appointment booking and reminders, to patient access to health records, test results, joint care planning, virtual consultations, self-assessment and management, the partnership will radically improve the way patients interact with their health and care services, creating a more seamless digital experience that also helps to balance the books.
Kenny Bloxham, Managing Director at Healthcare Communications said: “This partnership offers patients a superior digital-first user experience. Every piece of the patient’s healthcare information is now available within a few taps on their smartphone. From accessing their health record to attending a virtual clinic or completing a follow-up e-form, our partnership means NHS trusts can capitalise on two multi-award-winning solutions in one platform.
He adds: “With data flow automation and instant delivery of communications, we’ve seen DNA’s reduce and capacity increase. For trusts, this equates to massive cost efficiencies and streamlined processes, for patients this means quicker access to care, which can be lifesaving.”
Healthcare Communications works with 120 Trusts to deliver multi-channel patient communications including appointment reminders, patient surveys, virtual clinics and e-forms. Their multi award-winning patient appointment portal delivers hospital letters straight to smartphones enabling patients to confirm, cancel or rebook appointments in one click and convert letter content to 99 languages. Appointment specific information is also attached and accessible at any time.
Alongside this, Patients Know Best gives patients peace of mind wherever they go, wherever they might need care, by giving their health professional the full picture from the very start. This means real-time access to everything from test results, care plans, discharge summaries and even the patient’s own data – either uploaded from wearable devices or added using symptom tracking. Furthermore, with the ability to contact all those involved in the patient’s care using secure messaging, this results in more joined-up care that is truly borderless.
“We’re excited by the endless possibilities this partnership has to offer”, says Sally Rennison, Vice President of Sales at Patients Know Best. “The only way to help build a digital ecosystem that benefits patients and our customers for years to come is to recognise the strengths and abilities of all the players – and that’s exactly what this partnership is all about.
“By working together, we can help to make all aspects of the patient journey digital, interactive and more accessible. This empowers patients to more actively manage their health while, at the same time, supporting the wider health and care system so our healthcare teams have the capacity to focus on what really matters which is delivering great services.
With the pathway designed and implemented, the partnership will offer customers end to end integration from the New Year.
59 UK hospitals are live with the patient appointment portal and over 1.9 million patients have chosen to go digital with appointment letters, saving the NHS over £2 million in postal costs. With a track record of high patient adoption at hospitals of up to 65% of eligible patients, PKB’s solution will enable patients to continue to interact with their health information and access their medical history on any smartphone, tablet or desktop device.
To find out more about more about this unique partnership, please contact Tara Webb twebb@heatlhcomm.uk