TPP launches SystmOnline self-service

Tags: EMIS GP SMS SystmOne TPP

14 Oct 2008

TPP has completed the pilot of the patient self-service module of its SystmOnline software. The software will now be made available to all SystmOne GP organisations.

The software makes it possible for GP practices to offer a 24-hour online service to their patients for online appointment booking, requesting and registration. Patients can also add notes and comments to their GP and change their contact details.

The service is free of charge to practices and patients. Any practise can use the free service by phoning up to be activated or by adding a link to its website.

The general launch of the software follows a successful pilot at Saltaire Medical Centre, Shipley. Other organisations to pilot the software are Rawdon Surgery, Leeds; and Greenwich Avenue Surgery, Hull.

The benefit to patients is that “they can do this from wherever they are and at any time of day,” a spokeswoman for TPP told EHI Primary Care.

New patients will also be able to use the service to register their details online and print out a competed GMS1 form.

Saltaire went live with SystmOnline in September 2008, after previously using EMIS Access to manage its appointments online.

“When we migrated to SystmOnline, we hoped to retain some of the functionality that our previous system offered,” said Catherine Darlington, the practice business manager.

“Patients have a real appetite for the system and welcome the fact that they can book appointments at their convenience and are not limited to surgery opening times. They are also impressed that they can book appointments up to three months in advance,” she added.

Darlington said the 250 patients who were signed up to the practice’s old service, have now transferred to SystmOnline.

Darlington said patients were the ones who benefited from the service, rather than the practice: “It doesn’t really save us time, as prescriptions still need to be processed. We like to sell it as a benefit to our patients rather than to the practise.”

"In order for it to have any real impact on the practice we would need all of our 10,100 patients to sign up,” added Darlington. The practice is now planning to develop the service to include nursing appointments as well as SMS texting for appointment reminders and results.

Greenwich Avenue Surgery, has also piloted SystmOnline. Practice manager, Sue Thompson offered advice for other practices looking at the service. “Make sure you make enough appointments available to give the patient a reasonable choice. To begin with, we were worried that appointments would be wasted, but as reception staff can also book into them, that doesn't happen,” she said.

According to TPP, around 20 practices have already enquired about the service, and the number of patients using it is growing.

To register for the service patients need to provide two forms of ID and are then issued with a password.

Ashley Brook, TPP customer relationships manager, said that the service has been accredited by NHS Connecting for Health and is fully secure.

She said that practices using the SystmOnline software will be able to monitor activity using a comprehensive audit trail, and can revoke log-in details should they have any concern over a patient’s use.

Link

SystmOne

Simona Stankovska

Reader's Comments

More than just a summary

14 Oct 08 21:10

Whilst the Summary Care Record still seems to be taking forever to deliver a fraction of the information within patients records, this is a really positive move from TPP.

Being able to electronically communicate with the practice, to see, review and potentially challenge errors on your own entire record is empowering to patients, and enables them to take an active part in their healthcare. Because summaries from other encounters all feed back into the GP record, this gives the patient a summary of their entire care.

And avoiding the inconvenient battle to get an appointment in the mornings, competing with all the hassles of starting the day, is again a simple and important change for busy working families.

Of course Emis already provide a similar service if practices choose to take it. I hope that GPs will embrace this, as a part of how they need to demonstrate they are the longditudinal guardian of the patients interests, and increasingly life coach rather than patriach.

re: more than just a summary...

16 Oct 08 02:10

..from the story on SystmOnline - there is no claim that patients can access their health records via this route but that patients can book appointments online and can add notes and comments to the Practice. The previous comment is therefore a little misleading.

This is a positive step forward however for TPP and it will be interesting to see how other GP system providers who are not providing direct appointment booking respond. This functionality is now becoming the norm not the exception and a further step towards Patients having a beneficial on-line relationship with their Practice