Impact stories
Efficiency and Accessibility: How Star-shl’s Impactful Patient Portal Improves Patient Experience
Efficiency and Accessibility: How Star-shl’s Impactful Patient Portal Improves Patient Experience From wait times to digital convenience! Discover how Star-shl’s patient portal transforms healthcare, giving patients maximum freedom to schedule appointments and more. About Star-shl Star-shl is a leading player in Dutch medical diagnostics, contributing to well-organised primary healthcare with its advanced laboratory and diagnostic centres with extensive research facilities. Star-shl’s mission is to actively shape a sustainable, high-quality regional infrastructure for medical and laboratory diagnostics in the Netherlands, focusing on quality and customer satisfaction. Hans van der Put is the Business Manager of Star-shl’s Diagnostic Imaging Division and Prenatal Center. Hans underscores Star-shl’s mission of advancing healthcare digitisation, providing patients with the utmost freedom throughout their healthcare journey. Therefore, Hans is establishing a patient portal to schedule appointments with Star-shl after receiving a doctor’s referral. As Star-shl, we aim to contribute to the digitisation of healthcare by providing patients with the utmost freedom throughout their healthcare journey Hans van der Put, Business Manager of Star-shl’s Diagnostic Imaging Division and Prenatal Center Antoinette Tekstra is the Head of the Customer Contact Center at Star-shl. Her department is responsible for scheduling examinations and informing patients about the procedure and preparation for the examination. Scheduling Appointments Before the Implementation of the Patient Portal Before implementing the patient portal, patients could schedule appointments with Star-shl by phone by contacting the Customer Contact Center. This meant that appointments could only be made during business hours from 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM. The ambition to digitise was already there, and COVID-19 accelerated this process. The situation necessitated adjusted service, including appointments for all examinations. As a result, the Customer Contact Center couldn’t handle the high call volume despite the additional efforts of staff, leading to longer waiting times for appointment scheduling. Also, prior the portal’s implementation, specific instructions for certain examinations that a patient needed to know were discussed over the phone. These instructions included details such as fasting before the examination, temporarily discontinuing certain medications, or bringing a companion to the appointment. Following these instructions was important as they could affect the quality and reliability of an examination. Although patients were also referred to patient information on the website, it often happened that an examination could not be carried out (fully) because a patient was insufficiently prepared. To ensure that patients could schedule appointments more quickly and easily, come well-prepared for examinations, and relieve pressure on the Customer Contact Center, Hans and Antoinette, along with other Star-shl colleagues, worked on establishing the patient portal “Mijn Star-shl” by Brightfish, a part of LOGEX. From Wait Time to Convenience: Scheduling Appointments Online Through the Patient Portal How does it work? After receiving a referral for an examination at Star-shl, patients automatically receive an invitation to schedule an appointment online via email or SMS. Patients then visit www.mijn.star-shl.nl or use the Mijn Star-shl app. They can log in with DigiD (Dutch Online Identification System) to schedule an appointment for the examination. At present, the majority of examinations offered by Star-shl can be scheduled through the patient portal. The goal in the coming period is to gradually allow scheduling of all Imaging Division and Prenatal Center examinations via the Patient Portal. The patient portal is particularly user-friendly and accessible, but most importantly, patients can now choose when to schedule an appointment, no longer being dependent on our Customer Contact Center’s opening hours. They can also read the instructions at their own pace, 24/7. Antoinette Tekstra, Head of the Customer Contact Center, Star-shl The impact Reduced Pressure on the Customer Contact Center After the first few months, 30% of patients already use the portal to schedule appointments online. This positive result was achieved without any active promotional campaign targeting patients and referrers. It is expected that usage will increase further as more features are added, and the portal is actively promoted. Antoinette has noticed that since the launch of the patient portal, the service level has improved within the Customer Contact Center and can be maintained steadily with fewer staff. This allows the Customer Contact Center to focus on other tasks. An Accessible System for Patients “We see that the portal is easy to use when we look at who starts using it immediately,” says Hans. “You want everyone, young and old, non-native speakers, to easily use this service. One of the first patients to log in was an elderly patient, which gave us confidence that we offer an accessible system.” Antoinette: “We haven’t received any calls from patients regarding the portal, which I believe is a positive sign. It means that it’s clear for the patients.” Advancing Toward Streamlined Healthcare: Expanding the Mijn Star-shl Patient Platform Star-shl wants to develop and expand the portal gradually. Initially, they started with a ‘minimum viable product’ (MVP) with the essential functionalities. By doing so, they could improve patient experience immediately, then quickly identify which current functionalities might need optimisation, and determine which new features could be added. Antoinette and Hans have a clear vision for the future of the patient portal: “Our ambition is to offer more possibilities to patients in the next phase. We want to implement new features such as managing personal information and changing or cancelling appointments. Additionally, more examinations will be added to enable an even larger group of patients to use the portal. All of this aims to make it as easy as possible for patients. We are eager to see how patients respond to these additions, as we expect it will lead to increased platform use.” Would you also like to revolutionise patient‑centred care? Request a demo Please fill in the form below, and one of our employees will contact you as soon as possible. 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Revolutionising Patient-Centred Care: Successful Implementation of Bedside App Version 6.0 at Medisch Centrum Leeuwarden
Revolutionising Patient-Centred Care: Successful Implementation of Bedside App Version 6.0 at Medisch Centrum Leeuwarden Medisch Centrum Leeuwarden (MCL) implemented Bedside app 6.0, improving patient experience with entertainment options and educational materials. The app increased patient engagement and well-being, enhancing healthcare outcomes and empowering them in their healthcare journey. Bedside About the collaboration Medisch Centrum Leeuwarden (MCL) is a leading healthcare facility and one of the largest hospitals in the North of the Netherlands. In addition, MCL has a regional function for the province of Friesland. The collaboration between MCL and Brightfish began in the Dialyse department several years ago, where they successfully implemented the Bedside app to enhance the patient experience. The challenge MCL is committed to further digitalising its operations and processes as part of its overarching goal to enhance the overall hospital journey for all patients. MCL’s goal is to make patients’ experience more convenient and personalised while simultaneously addressing the time constraints faced by healthcare workers. By leveraging innovative digital solutions, MCL aims to empower patients, streamline administrative processes, and enable healthcare professionals to prioritise delivering high-quality care. The solution MCL implemented the new version 6.0 of the Bedside app, a powerful Brightfish solution that significantly enhances patients’ hospital experience. With its improved user interface design and enhanced usability, this new version offers patients greater independence, comfort, and control during their stay. Through the app’s user-friendly interface, patients can easily access a variety of entertainment options, including TV shows, games, and magazines, ensuring they stay engaged and entertained throughout their hospital journey. Additionally, the app provides informative materials approved by MCL, empowering patients to actively participate in their healthcare journey by learning about their conditions and treatments. Impact The implementation of the Bedside app at MCL has had a profound impact on patients’ hospital experience. Patients now have access to a range of entertainment options, which not only reduces boredom and stress but also improves their overall well-being. As one nurse highlights, “Patients now spend more time in chairs as they can use iPads to watch television and lose track of time.” Feedback from nurses further emphasises the positive outcomes of the Bedside app. Previously, accessing TV services included costs and took more time to set up. However, the iPads make this process much easier for both patients and staff. The convenience and accessibility of the iPads have led to remarkable results, with less patients wandering and increased engagement during their hospital stay. This shift in patient behaviour reflects the app’s ability to provide enjoyable distractions and foster greater patient involvement throughout their hospital journey. Implementation Process The successful implementation of 250 iPads for 500 beds marked a significant milestone in the journey of MCL and Brightfish. As pioneers in adopting the latest iteration of the Bedside app, MCL seamlessly implemented version 6.0 across their facilities. Furthermore, MCL embraced cutting-edge technology by integrating Beacons, a remarkable step that enables precise tracking of iPad locations within the hospital. This implementation facilitates efficient service and support. Project team Medisch Centrum Leeuwarden & Brightfish Future Possibilities Brightfish continues to support MCL in their quest for innovation and digitalisation. Ongoing research and development ensure continuous improvement, personalised experiences, and staying at the forefront of healthcare innovation. Together, Brightfish and MCL are revolutionising patient-centred care, enhancing healthcare facilities, and improving outcomes for patients and healthcare staff. Curious to learn more about how you can enhance the hospital journey and revolutionise patient-centred care with our solutions? Request a demo Please fill in the form below, and one of our employees will contact you as soon as possible. Your name Company name Your email address Phone number Shortly describe your question… Request a demo
How Elderly App is used to offer frail patients entertaining content during their stay at St. Antonius Hospital
Brightfish’s BeagleBoxx Bedside solution at St. Antonius Hospital provides elderly patients with positive stimuli through entertaining and relaxing content on the Elderly App.
How to improve quality of life for patients with Intermittent Claudication using a smartphone
How to improve quality of life for patients with Intermittent Claudication using a smartphone A smartphone accelerometer was used to investigate the feasibility of measuring disease-specific changes in the gait pattern of intermittent claudication patients. Carepath Insight About the collaboration The Jeroen Bosch Hospital is a Dutch hospital with multiple auxiliary locations south of the Netherlands. The hospital has 4,000 employees and 240 physicians and surgeons in 29 specialties, leading to a yearly total of 500,000 outpatient and 60,000 inpatient treatments. This project was done in collaboration with the Technical University of Eindhoven. The challenge The diagnosis of intermittent claudication (IC) is challenging because the main symptom, pain while walking, is also caused by several other pathologies. Current diagnostic tools to measure intermittent claudication are not always adequate to determine whether other diseases are the primary cause of any walking complaints, which makes it difficult to decide on the optimal treatment for the patient and impairs the proper follow-up. Furthermore, it is challenging for the physician and patient to monitor daily disease development. The solution As a solution, a smartphone accelerometer was used to investigate the feasibility of measuring disease-specific changes in the gait pattern of intermittent claudication patients. The smartphone app used The JBZetje app manages remote supervised walking therapy, which captures motion data. The group of patients performed a walking test true to their daily environment: they walked outside on a flat course, wearing their usual shoes, at their preferred pace. Tri-axial acceleration was measured while the subjects walked with the smartphone horizontally in their right hand in front of them, at approximately belly button height. By touching a button on the smartphone, the patients could report when they experienced pain. They walked until they could no longer continue due to the pain. This way, data on the gait pattern with active symptoms was acquired. All patients completed a disease-specific questionnaire about the walking test. This questionnaire is also part of the JBZetje app. In addition, managers are much more involved in drawing up the budget because they have insight into the most important data – in real time. The impact The app shows the potential clinical applicability of measuring changes in intermittent claudication gait characteristics. With the help of the app (native, secure and connected to the Electronic Health Record), the walking data of patients can be monitored in an accessible, inexpensive, natural and reliable manner. This improves the diagnosis and follow-up of IC patients in daily life. Furthermore, gait pattern measurements with a smartphone accelerometer could be combined with an algorithm that detects IC-specific anomalies in walking patterns. This feature predicts and follows up on whether supervised walking therapy and/or surgery will improve each patient’s clinical and patient-experienced outcomes. The same algorithm could then deploy telemedicine and remote monitoring for IC patients. Read the original publication here. Would you also like to revolutionise patient‑centred care? Request a demo Please fill in the form below, and one of our employees will contact you as soon as possible. Your name Company name Your email address Phone number Shortly describe your question… Request a demo
Smartphone self-monitoring leads to a 38% reduction in rheumatologist consultations
Smartphone self-monitoring leads to a 38% reduction in rheumatologist consultations Patient-initiated care supported by smartphone self-monitoring was non-inferior to usual care in terms of disease activity. It led to a 38% reduction in rheumatologist consultations at Reade. Carepath Insight About the client Reade is one of the largest specialised rheumatology centres in the Netherlands. The challenge Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are routinely scheduled for follow-up appointments, but this format may not be sustainable. The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) workforce study estimates that by 2030 the number of projected rheumatologists will not even meet half the number of needed rheumatologists. The demand for more rheumatology health care providers is growing due to the increasing number of patients with RA and the overall increase in health care utilisation. Additionally, the supply of health care is dropping due to a decreasing rheumatology workforce. Therefore, we will need to provide more health care with the same capacity of people and resources. Currently, in the Netherlands, most patients with RA consult their physician every 3 to 6 months, following the EULAR guidelines. The solution As a solution, outpatient clinics could revert from preplanned visits to providing “health care on demand,” in which patients are expected to initiate health care themselves when needed. The effectiveness of patient-initiated care in patients with RA is still under investigation. Hewlett et al, Primdahl et al, and Poggenborg et al have shown that patients who self-initiate care (for 2 to 6 years) were clinically and psychologically at least as well and had fewer appointments than patients with physician-initiated regular appointments. The smartphone application The app notified patients each week to complete their RAPID3 in the app. The results of the RAPID3 could be used by patients to monitor themselves during the year, to reflect on the course of their disease, and to contact the outpatient clinic in a timely manner in case of progressive complaints. Additionally, communication with the physician/nurse at the outpatient clinic was easier, as they also had access to their data. In the app, a RAPID3 algorithm was used to identify potential RA flares. An increase in the RAPID3 score by >2 points (from the previous data point) combined with a RAPID3 score of >4 led to a flare notification. The notification informed the patient about the possible flare, linked to self-management tips, and presented the advice to contact a rheumatology nurse if deemed necessary by the patient. Scores in the app were not used to trigger contact from clinician to patient. The data collected in the app was synchronized in real-time with the EMR at Reade. The impact Patient-initiated care supported by smartphone self-monitoring was non-inferior to usual care and led to a 38% reduction in rheumatologist consultations in RA patients with stable low disease activity. So far, self-monitoring of RA disease activity with ePROs has not been shown to improve patient satisfaction or disease activity. Still, improvements have been seen in terms of self-management skills, patient empowerment, patient-physician interaction, and physical activity. Several studies also demonstrate high acceptance rates of self-monitoring and high questionnaire completion during studies. In addition, self-monitoring can lead to a reduction in outpatient clinic visits by ~50%. To date, none of these studies have combined patient-initiated care (to reduce the number of visits) with self-monitoring (to maintain disease control). Read the full study here. Would you also like to revolutionise patient‑centred care? Request a demo Please fill in the form below, and one of our employees will contact you as soon as possible. Your name Company name Your email address Phone number Shortly describe your question… Request a demo
How better insights into your patient journey can improve their quality of life
Ensuring that doctors have insights into patient journey can lead to better patient outcomes and higher patient satisfaction rates at Sint Maartens Clinic.
We need to collect PROMs to improve treatments and patient experience
Insight & CarePath solutions not only help doctors to monitor the patient journey but also collect and view patient data to further improve their treatment at Ospedale San Raffaele (HSR).
How BeagleBoxx solutions help relieve the patients’ stress during a lengthy treatment
The solution at the Medical Center Leeuwarden offers patients various entertainment items such as games, TV, radio. This does not make dialysis treatment any easier, but it makes it much more bearable for patients.
How do I engage and entertain my patients during four-hour dialysis treatment?
BeagleBoxx products are handy and simple to use. Patients intuitively know how the system works and my staff can easily get in touch with the Brightfish support desk to discuss any questions or requests.
How BeagleBoxx transforms the patient experience at Zuyderland Medisch Centrum
To improve the patient experience the Brightfish team rolled out 500+ iPads in one location in 2 months and trained 400 staff members by getting them hands-on with the iPad mobile service.