Sonic HealthPlus cuts patient effort by 80% with SmartIQ

Sonic HealthPlus has collaborated with Smart Communications to overhaul its health assessment process, reportedly reducing patient effort by 80%.

Sonic HealthPlus, an Australian provider of occupational healthcare and general medical services, sought to address inefficiencies in their health assessment procedures. The traditional method, which involved lengthy, manual forms, was identified as a source of frustration for both patients and staff.

The company has transitioned from paper-based assessments to a digital format using Smart Communications' SmartIQ solution. Previously, patients would navigate through up to 40 pages of paper forms, which required manual data entry by staff. This update allows for a streamlined digital experience, cutting back on the time and effort required to complete forms.

"Originally, patients would fill out up to 20 pages of paper on a clipboard. This could take up to 30 minutes in the waiting room. Moving to digital not only reduced paperwork time by 80% but also reduced a lot of stress and frustration," said Rebecca Stergiou, General Manager Commercial at Sonic HealthPlus.

The digital forms have been designed to tailor themselves to individual patient responses, filling out much of the required information automatically by linking with known patient data. This approach not only improves efficiency but also enhances the accuracy of patient data.

Smart Communications' CEO, Leigh Segall, commented on the project, "With 66% of Australians sharing that they are likely to end an interaction with a company if the form collection is too difficult, we knew that making this process easier would be essential for Sonic HealthPlus. Structured, high-quality data enables Sonic HealthPlus to provide real-time health insights, perform in-depth trend analysis, and benchmark against industry standards. Together, we are ensuring both patients and medical professionals have a standout experience when interacting with forms and assessments."

By utilising SmartIQ's intelligent logic, Sonic HealthPlus can provide a customised experience with minimal patient effort. This system has removed redundancy and unnecessary questions, thanks to its integration with the company's appointment systems.

The upgrade also allows patients to complete their assessments at their convenience either at home or in clinics using iPads, with the option to pause and resume on different devices.

Greg Hutchinson, CEO of Sonic HealthPlus, highlighted the transformation saying, "SmartIQ has significantly transformed our operations, streamlining workflows, enhancing data accuracy, and providing a seamless experience for both patients and staff. The results speak for themselves – we're not only improving efficiency but also delivering better care with greater security and privacy."

Additionally, the system provides Sonic HealthPlus with tools to offer real-time health insights and engage in thorough data analysis, which can facilitate improved healthcare delivery.

Ryan Arrowsmith, Manager Business Systems Development & Analytics at Sonic HealthPlus, noted, "While digitising forms and streamlining processes was important, the implementation of SmartIQ has also led to a significant improvement in morale among the operations teams, no longer having to deal with the frustrations of legacy systems."

Sonic HealthPlus's shift to a digital system not only enhances the patient experience but ensures data integrity, operational efficiency, and the potential for scalable growth in their healthcare services.