Esther van Gulik and Annette Vos of DrechtDokters share their experiences
Pressure on family practice clinics is increasing throughout the Netherlands. At DrechtDokters, the family practice clinic for the Dordrecht region, the situation is no different. Triage nurses assess over the phone whether patients need urgent care and what kind of assistance is appropriate, while the demand for care is becoming increasingly complex. To keep the GP service operational and organize it in a future-proof way, DrechtDokters made the switch to data-driven management insights.
“Now we truly have a tool that allows us to manage operations more effectively.”
The application developed by EscuLine (part of SureSync) displays, after logging in, a clear platform with nineteen tiles, each focused on a specific activity. Clicking on a tile brings up the relevant data. Filters apply across all other tiles, creating a comprehensive overview of the HAP. The HAP monitor does not contain individual patient data, but rather management information about processes and workload.
Before the dashboard was built, DrechtDokters and EscuLine jointly determined how the HAP should be managed and who should have access to which information. The KPIs were defined based on procedures, patient contacts, urgency levels, response times, and productivity. Industry standards such as the Dutch Triage Standard have been incorporated into the application.
The HAP manager, the medical director, the general director, and quality assurance staff are now using the platform. The medical director uses it to gather information to discuss with doctors. For health insurers and partners in the care chain, the platform provides a clear overview of patient volume, capacity, and care processes. The goal for the future is to collaborate with partners such as the ambulance service and the emergency department to explore how primary care in the Drechtsteden region can be organized more efficiently.
Esther van Gulik describes the collaboration as one characterized by substantive engagement: EscuLine doesn’t just execute tasks but actively contributes ideas on the design of the dashboard, drawing on its understanding of what a HAP is and what healthcare professionals need.