Doha, Qatar: The Center for Patient Experience and Staff Engagement (CPESE) at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) introduced a set of system changes to Referral and Booking Management System (RBMS) in 2022 and patients are now seeing tangible improvements throughout as a result of the changes.
The initiative to enhance the appointment booking system covers every aspect from referrals to appointment scheduling, including e-triage and improving patient access to healthcare services, ensuring a more streamlined and effective experience for all. As a result, a remarkable increase has been seen in the number of patients receiving their first appointment within seven days of referral. The figures rose from 3,315 in February 2022 to 10,723 in January 2024, an increase of 224%. A significant decrease is recorded in the number of patients with pending referrals, dropping from 93,109 in October 2022 to 27,754 in January 2024, representing a 70% reduction.
There is an impressive 91% increase in the number of patients seen within two weeks of referral, with numbers rising from 6,815 in February 2022 to 13,005 in January 2024.
A 25% reduction is seen in the referral-to-seen wait time for new patients, between January 2022 and March 2024.
HMC’s ‘Nesma’ak’ customer service helpline on 16060 works 24/7.
Nasser Al Naimi, Chief of Patient Experience and Director of Hamad Healthcare Quality Institute, said one of the cornerstones of HMC’s success in optimising outpatient care has been the strategic centralisation and decentralisation of its operations.
“While the Referral and Booking Management System (RBMS) management is centralised, operations were decentralised across various healthcare facilities. This means that hospitals have more control of booking appointments for their patients and helps to avoid unnecessary delays. This approach ensures that the capacity of clinics matched the demand, effectively reducing waiting times for appointments.” To ensure the sustained success of their optimisation efforts, an executive dashboard for process monitoring has been introduced. This dashboard provides real-time data on patients’ access to care, enabling timely decision-making. Such data-driven insights have been crucial in maintaining the gains achieved through the optimisation programme.
Khadija Al Shukaili, Executive Director of Nursing at Hamad General Hospital, said, “The transformation of the RBMS involved a comprehensive reforming and operationalising our specialty clinics efficiently through direct engagement of services’ stakeholders. This initiative was aimed at increasing utilisation of our current capacity and prioritising our patients’ needs and care.”
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