Patient portal to enable patients to manage their own appointments

Managing outpatient care can be complex. Just consider the increasing number of patients with complex, long-term conditions who may have to see several different consultants at several different intervals and the challenges become clear.

People are increasingly using technology in almost every aspect of their lives. Within healthcare, you may already be receiving text messages and reminders from your GP surgery or dentist, and you may be booking GP appointments, ordering prescriptions or checking test results online.

Situation

Identify and implement an appropriate digital solution to allow patients to have greater control over their elective care.

Aspiration

To provide patients with a higher level of digital service, using modern technology to give them more control over managing their appointments and accessing information relating to their care.

Solution and impact

Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (MKUHFT) introduced an app, MyCare, a web app enabling patients to manage their care and hospital appointments.

MyCare is the result of a collaboration between MKUHFT and Zesty - a digital provider of patient portals for NHS hospitals.

Over half of MKUHFT’s outpatients have registered and used the app. The Trust, which used to send over 400,000 letters a year, predicts it saved over £1M in 2018/2019 by cutting out paper, postage and administration associated with traditional outpatient processes.

Functionality

Integral to the app is that it enables patients to manage their appointments, with updates written directly into Cerner Millennium, the trust’s patient administration system (PAS) and electronic health record (EHR).

Capabilities

Cloud-based, web app requiring WiFi or mobile data to operate, patient initiated follow up telephone appointments are first saved in the Zesty diary and can then be placed in PAS.

Scope

Enables patients to manage their own appointments and view appointment letters online. Further developments to be released shortly include patients viewing their discharge summaries, clinical correspondence letters and test results.

Key figures/quotes

“Without any sort of nudge, we’re seeing about 55% of all patients registering,” says professor Joe Harrison, chief executive, Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. “We haven’t trained, we haven’t advertised: all we’ve done is send a text message out, and because it’s intuitive and people want it, they just get on and do it.”

Find out more

Visit the MyCare patient portal on Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust’s website

Key contact

John Blakesley, deputy chief executive, Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

john.blakesley@mkuh.nhs.uk

James Balmain, chief executive, Induction Healthcare Group PLC

james.b@inductionhealthcare.com