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"By 7:30 there are no more appointments available with my doctor." "This is a joke. You can't get through on the phone." "It's a disaster. There are three windows at the reception, the ladies are just sitting there and not serving anyone for several minutes." "The phone receiver is always off the hook, and if you manage to get through by 8:30, there are no slots left with the doctor." These are just a few of the many unflattering opinions regarding one of Warsaw's clinics. However, similar comments can be found on the pages of most medical facilities in the country. Both patients and medical staff have numerous complaints about their operations. The solution to these problems turns out to be comprehensive digitization, which effectively streamlines clinic operations and supports doctors in their daily work.
Automation, robotics, and digitization have become integral elements of modern life, encompassing almost every field. Moreover, younger generations cannot imagine it being any other way and expect digital tools in their daily lives, including in interactions with the healthcare system. "Five years ago, when I talked about digital solutions for the medical industry, many people thought it was a distant future. Shortly after, the only way to contact a doctor was via tele-visit, and online correspondence with clinics or doctors suddenly became possible. The lockdowns showed that even basic digital solutions make life easier for both patients and doctors, thus attracting significant interest from those managing medical facilities," explains Piotr Strychalski, CEO of the startup eGabinet.
Over just a few years, both patient and doctor expectations have changed. Patients today primarily seek quick and convenient access to medical services and transparent solutions that save time and simplify administrative processes. "The first problem patients encounter is contact and trying to make an appointment. Why can we book online for a hairdresser or a massage, but not for a doctor? Hence, an appointment calendar became a fundamental tool of the eGabinet system, aimed at patients," says Strychalski. The calendar also solves another critical issue. According to NFZ data, over 1.3 million appointments in 2023 were missed because patients did not cancel in time. Automatically sent reminders help remember the appointment, and if we can't make it, they give us time to cancel it. It's essential to remember that a missed appointment is a lost opportunity for another patient, and efficient use of the doctor's time reduces queues.
Technology in medicine not only facilitates appointment and facility management but also improves the quality of patient care. The introduction of electronic medical documentation management systems, appointment scheduling, and telemedicine revolutionizes how health services are provided. "One of the functions of the eGabinet platform is the optimal management of all facility resources. For instance, by recognizing the type of planned examination, the system independently assigns and reserves the appointment and the room equipped with the necessary medical equipment. This eliminates situations where a patient arrives for a scheduled examination only to find that the equipment needed is unavailable," notes Piotr Strychalski, CEO of the eGabinet startup.
Delegating the management of all processes related to the operation of clinics or health centers to appropriate technology relieves doctors and allows them to fully meet the evolving expectations of patients who seek individualized and holistic approaches to their problems. "We receive signals from the industry that the solutions provided in eGabinet genuinely impact doctors' daily work. They speed up and simplify necessary administrative actions, such as insurance verification or prescription preparation. This means that during the appointment, the doctor can spend more time with the patient. This is important to us because solving specific problems is the foundation of the entire platform," emphasizes the CEO of the startup.
The value that digitization brings to the medical market has also been recognized by investors, who once again supported the solution developed by Piotr Strychalski's team at the beginning of this year. During the second round of funding at the beginning of 2024, the startup raised PLN 2.4 million from business angels. These funds were used to strengthen the company's market position, scale-up, and expand the platform with an AI chatbot, which is to be a virtual assistant for doctors, supporting them in diagnosing patients. The solution is set to debut later this year.
Digitization of healthcare is not just a necessity but a natural response to the changing expectations of patients and medical staff. Implementing new systems requires financial investment, staff training, and changes in existing procedures. However, as data provided by the eGabinet startup shows, interest in digitizing processes is growing rapidly. In the first half of 2024 alone, the number of doctors using the eGabinet platform increased by 50%. This dynamic growth indicates that medical facilities recognize the benefits of implementing modern technologies, which are becoming an indispensable element of modern healthcare, contributing to its more integrated and patient-centered nature.
Read more in Świat Medycyny i Farmacji
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