Deployment of E-POS for intake of new patients

The Heelkunde instituut is a Dutch clinic that focuses on gallbladder surgery and inguinal hernia. One of the clinic's distinguishing features is its short waiting list. This is achieved because efficiency and automation are one of the clinic's major spearheads.  

For this reason, the Surgery Institute has chosen to automate not only the preoperative process, but also the intake screening of patients. 

 This works as follows: 

1. Patients register with the Surgery Institute through the website or care intermediary. Following this, patients receive a user-friendly online questionnaire. 
2. After the questionnaire is completed, the E-POS algorithm creates a report for the physician that includes the ASA classification, contraindication and desired follow-up examinations. 
3. If the patient is within the surgical scope, they will be invited for a follow-up consultation.
4. If the patient does not fall within the criteria, the Surgery Institute may refer the patient. 
5. Patients who may have surgery after this do not need to complete a preoperative questionnaire after this. 

By using the software, patients no longer need to come to the clinic unnecessarily and are told what the next steps are.

Deployment of E-POS for triage at walk-in clinic

Bergman Clinics is one of the largest focus clinics in the Netherlands. At more than 75 locations, they provide care. By offering specialized and planable care, which is usually reimbursed by health insurance companies, patients can be treated quickly and accessibly. 

Bergman Clinics focuses on patient-friendliness. For example, within Bergman Naarden (motion care) they have a One-Stop-Shop. This means that after obtaining an indication for surgery, patients can immediately receive a preoperative screening by a nurse anesthetist. In most cases, the patient can then be approved for surgery.

To make this practice even more patient-friendly, Bergman Clinics in Naarden uses E-POS to facilitate the walk-in clinic.

E-POS in conjunction with the walk-in clinic works as follows:

1. If the patient receives an indication for surgery, the patient may proceed to a waiting area where the E-POS questionnaire may be completed on a tablet.

2. When the tablet is returned to the desk clerk, E-POS tells whether the patient may proceed to the lancing room and POS consultation. In other cases, the patient is told they may go home and be called later with additional preoperative questions.

3. During the consultation hour, the nurse anesthetist has all relevant information at hand, in order to immediately ask additional questions. In addition, patients have already been informed by E-POS about the sobriety policy and applicable anesthesia techniques.

4. After this, he or she can complete the E-POS questionnaire on a tablet in the waiting room. By filling out this questionnaire, the physician immediately gets all relevant health information from the patient while still on site.

This practice saves time for both patient and provider. In addition, patients know better what is expected of them during the consultation and preoperative process.

All in all, then, the use of the E-POS questionnaire at Bergman Clinics Movement offers many advantages for both the patient and the physician. Through this efficient method of working, the health status is mapped more quickly and effectively and preparations for the OR can begin immediately.

Deployment of E-POS to screen patients from home.

Another clinic using E-POS to optimize the POS process is FlexClinics. FlexClinics deals with both orthopedic and plastic surgeries. This clinic differs from others in that they deliberately maintain a small scale.

As a result, FlexClinics maintains short lines of communication with the patient and offers the opportunity for surgery in a pleasant environment.

At the start of establishing the clinic, Peter van Aggelen, anesthesiologist & owner, chose to immediately scrutinize all critical business processes. The POS process is part of this.

Patients undergoing surgery at FlexClinics use NovaCair's preoperative screening software.

Here's how it works at Flexclinics:

1. Once a patient has received an indication for surgery, he or she may go home. Here they can complete the online questionnaire and watch the informational videos at their leisure in a familiar environment.  

2. After the questionnaire is completed, the anesthesiologist reviews the report and triage advice via a task in the EHR. In most cases, patients are called for additional questions.

3. After the screening is completed, E-POS automatically creates a summary of the health status used on the day of the OR. This gives the specialist a complete picture of health, without a lot of administration.

This method saves the patient unnecessary travel and creates a safe way for the clinic to prepare the patient for surgery.

How does E-POS benefit the clinics?  

First, it provides clinics with satisfied patients. Patients experience the process as pleasant and comfortable because they can go through everything digitally and from a convenient (home) environment. In addition, patients do not have extra travel time when it is not necessary.

For clinics, E-POS offers a piece of patient experience and extra service. E-POS also helps clinics realistically set up their schedules by determining the timeframe and type of follow-up consultation in advance. Because you get a full insight into the health status before the first consultation, you can adjust the schedule for each patient.

Lastly, clinics save money by automating the preoperative intake process. As clinics classify patients in ASA 1 & 2, the need for physical consultations is significantly reduced. In many cases, this eliminates the need for outpatient consultations. The consultations that do take place are much more efficient.