Patients and practices will benefit from the additions, says the company.
A raft of additions to the primary care booking and directory platform Healthengine has been unveiled promising to help fill cancelled appointments and streamline online payments.
A new automated SMS feature means patients can receive instant notifications for newly available appointments. It will also assist practices to more easily fill cancelled appointments, the company said in a statement.
Healthengine CEO Dan Stinton said the feature was developed in response to strong customer demand.
“Waitlist was designed to replace the manual management of patient waitlists, eliminating the need for Post-it notes and spreadsheets,” he said.
“With the new automated SMS feature, filling a cancelled appointment is now easier than ever. This not only makes things simpler for practices, but also helps patients access the care they need faster.”
The new feature of the Waitlist product – launched earlier this year for GPs, allied health practitioners, specialists and eligible dentists – allows practices to add patients directly, while patients can also join waitlists themselves via the Healthengine platform.
The launch this week coincided with Healthengine’s release of new online payment features designed to save practices time and reduce the effort spent manually chasing payments from patients.
GPs, dental clinics, allied health professionals, and specialists can now use online tools to collect deposits and payments, process refunds, reconcile accounts, and follow up on outstanding balances via secure SMS payment links and a conversion-optimised payment gateway.
The system allows patients to enter their card details when booking, enabling payments to be collected either before or after their appointment, in line with practice procedures.
Patient information is securely stored, and practices have the option to skip payment and store only a patient’s Medicare details for bulk-billed appointments. Customisation options allow practices to tailor the system to their needs.
“Practices often waste hours calling patients to take payments over the phone, particularly for telehealth and overdue accounts,” said Mr Stinton.
“Debt collection can be a dreaded task, but with a secure SMS solution, collecting payments is as simple as sending a text. These new Healthengine features streamline the entire process, making life easier for practices and patients alike, and helping to prevent missed appointments.”
Healthengine says that since 2006, its platform has facilitated more than 89 million bookings across GP, dental, allied health, and pharmacy services.