Today's general practitioners provide a wide range of medical services. Under the same roof you'll have a physical therapist, a nutritionist, a mental health practitioner, an occupational therapist… repeat prescriptions may need to be sorted out.
An average-sized GP practice receives around 10,000 calls each month, and if X% of those calls come in first thing in the morning, that's a lot of people queuing up.
Max Gatlin, a tech enthusiast with a background in digital transformation, and his team at Hanley Consulting, recently added to the X-On Health family, want to make the 8 a.m. rush a thing of the past .
Gatlin's pioneering system, originally called EDATT and now rebranded as Surgery Assist, revolutionizes the patient experience.
“What people may not know is that not all the calls that make up the 8 a.m. rush are wanting to make an appointment with a GP,” Max said.
“There will be a queue of calls from people who want to arrange repeat prescriptions or who want to see another health professional, such as a physiotherapist, rather than a GP.”
The great thing about Surgery Assist technology, developed by Max, Hanley Consulting, and X-On Health, is that it can filter each caller to the right person or service they need. Max described the results as “absolutely amazing.”
“We have been implementing this approach for the past two years, and some of the data we have gained from it will help reduce strain on the system and help patients get the care they need more quickly and efficiently. It was absolutely amazing in terms of what it did.”
Although Surgery Assist has helped reduce telephone queuing by 30-40%, demand for telephone GP appointments remains high.
“There is a concerted effort across the country to help surgical procedures rethink their access points. This technology exists to support and, if utilized correctly, can improve the patient experience. For example, with Surgery Assist, you can quickly direct patients to more appropriate services, taking them out of the general queue and getting them the care they need. We can direct them to services, reducing pressure on the system and providing better service to patients.”
“Surgery Assist is our flagship automated digital support assistant and is the first of its kind,” said Gatlin, adding: “We have taken great care to ensure it can be rolled out to GP websites and phone systems across the UK. “It's designed to be expensive.”
Max added: “Our philosophy is to share our experience and expertise, understand their requirements and help our clients solve their most pressing problems, impacting the entire medical and care system. Although we know that they work slightly differently, each digital assistant can be customized and localized to suit your surgery and patient needs.
“We are proud to be at the forefront of keeping new platforms and systems up to date, ensuring interoperability and data security, and driving change across health systems, services, teams, individuals, staff and patients. I think so.”
5 reasons to consider Surgery Assist
Surgery Assist automates routine tasks such as managing patient inquiries, scheduling, and directing patients to the appropriate service. This reduces administrative workload for staff and allows them to focus on more important tasks. With automated signage, multilingual support, and efficient call routing, Surgery Assist helps patients quickly and easily access the care they need. Empower your patients and improve the patient experience by reducing wait times and providing 24/7 digital support. Surgery Assist automates up to 30% of the workload, minimizing operational costs and saving valuable time for both staff and patients. Fewer manual tasks means greater efficiency and less strain on resources. Surgery Assist integrates with tools such as NHS apps and encourages patients to use digital services for tasks such as ordering prescriptions, managing appointments and accessing medical records. Surgery Assist breaks down language barriers and ensures inclusivity with natural language processing and dynamic translation in over 60 languages. This capability helps reduce health disparities and provides personalized support to diverse patient populations.
For more information click here: www.x-on.co.uk