The Rakaia Medical Centre is a busy rural practice with three doctors, four practice nurses and an administration team of five. The team care for an enrolled patient list of around 2,400 patients.
THE SITUATION
The practice had been using Medtech32 for more than 10 years, they were ready to extend their service offerings and they recognised that by harnessing the latest technology they could increase efficiency and enhance patient care. They realised that their practice management system and ageing computer hardware may be limiting their options.
Practice Manager, Christine Milton embarked on a review of practice management systems and after an extensive assessment the practice selected Medtech Evolution. “Realistically the other solutions we looked at didn’t offer any different features to Evolution” said Christine Milton, Practice Manager.
Christine had previously experienced the pain of implementing a totally different system and knew that it wasn’t worth the change management issues that they would be faced with.
THE CHALLENGE
The practice was keen to offer their patients teleconsultations but their ageing hardware was a barrier. Being in a rural community they realised this technology would minimise patient travel time and deliver some efficiency savings to the practice.
The administrative and clinical teams had been using Medtech32 for over 10 years, they were comfortable with the solution and some were reluctant to change systems. Fortunately, Christine Milton had been through the process previously so was able to prepare a project plan that would ensure a smooth transition to Evolution.
THE SOLUTION
Along with the upgrade to Evolution the practice invested in new computers and the ManageMyHealth patient portal which provides video consultations, online bookings and repeat prescription requests etc… “The transition was seamless for us, all of my staff that were dreading the upgrade from Medtech32, really love Evolution, it’s so intuitive and easy to use.”
Medtech migrated the data from Medtech32 to Evolution and spent the weekend on site to provide support during the “go live” period. “Having the team from Medtech during the go live was regarded by the whole team as invaluable” said Christine.
THE BENEFITS
The transition to Evolution was seamless for the Doctors and practice nurses. “All staff found the new system to be very similar, it just has a more modern feel,” said Christine.
The nursing team love the Clinical Business Intelligence Tool (CBIT), it alerts them to system level measures and is far superior to the third-party product they previously used. “The previous system wasn’t in real time or as good, the Clinical Business Intelligence Tool really is, easy to use.”
The practice also implemented SMS reminders during the upgrade and now find the number of missed appointments is minimal. The ManageMyHealth (MMH) patient portal provides those patients that crave convenience the ability to book appointments online. Already around 20% of the patients have adopted the facility which has reduced the workload on reception staff.
The practice is in the process of implementing on-line repeat prescription requests and will shortly begin an implementation of a self-service kiosk. This will allow patients to self-check-in when they arrive and update their details. They are also looking to implement the Evolution App. “It’s fantastic to have all of these optional tools that we can add to Evolution as the practice grows” said Christine.
SUMMARY
It has been around 10 months since the upgrade and the Rakaia Medical Centre is very happy, they are now able to utilise additional features like online bookings and repeat prescriptions which saves them time and provides added convenience to patients. Staff are also pleased with Evolution and appreciating the additional tools available to them.
