NL Health Services Partners on New Technology Solution to Enhance Appointment Scheduling

Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) Health Services, Seafair Capital, one of NL Health Services strategic innovation partners, and TxtSquad, a text messaging platform based in Newfoundland and Labrador, are working together to pilot a new texting solution for appointment scheduling in some primary health clinics in the Western and Eastern Urban and Rural zones.

The goal of this new platform is to provide clerical staff, service providers and administrators with the ability to engage patients using text messaging that is designed to be conversational in nature. Patients will be able to simply text clerical staff at the participating clinics to confirm appointments, schedule new appointments and for other inquiries. Participating clinics include the primary health clinic in Holyrood, family care teams located in St. John’s east and west, as well as the Bay St. George family care team, and the respiratory clinic located at 50 Mundy Pond Road, St. John’s.

“NL Health Services is excited to pilot this innovative platform to enhance communication through text messages which are more efficient and accessible for individuals comfortable with texting,” said Melissa Coish, senior director of Primary Health Care and Community Services for Eastern-Urban Zone. “This partnership and pilot project aligns with our innovation strategy and our strategic priorities as a new organization. We look forward to exploring how this platform will further support our patients and staff and lead to increased patient and health-care provider satisfaction.”

For those who participate in the pilot project, this system will help reduce missed appointments, schedule appointments in a simpler and faster process, and increase accessibility to these clinics.

“The intended outcome is streamlined health-care communication between patients and clinics by facilitating faster and easier appointment bookings,” said Michelle Alexander, senior director of Primary Health Care and Community Services for Eastern-Rural Zone. “This will free up phone lines for those who prefer to schedule appointments by telephone and, during the pilot project, patients can continue to call the clinics for appointments.”

The Bay St. George family care team will also pilot this technology to use text messaging services to enhance communication with those people who are served by that team.

“This technical solution will strengthen communication with our patients and clients and enable our staff to work more efficiently,” said Carol Anne Wight, senior director of Primary Health Care and Community Services for Western Zone. “We are pleased to implement this platform to enhance our ability to book appointments and send appointment reminders.”

TxtSquad is a professional texting platform that is transparent and easy-to-use. “We are excited to join the Seafair Capital Group of innovative companies,” said Josh Taylor, CEO of TxtSquad. “Seafair’s proven success in health care makes them an ideal partner to help us bring our technology to NL Health Services and the health-care market. Together, we want to deliver a platform that helps improve accessibility to health care in our province – and this is just the beginning.”

Through Seafair Capital, TxtSquad is now able to expand into the health-care sector. “This investment mirrors our commitment to nurturing innovation and we’re thrilled to be working with NL Health Services to pilot enhancements across the full continuum of care,” said Ayon Shahed, VP Innovation at Seafair Capital. “We are excited to form a partnership with TxtSquad to support their expansion and aid in the evolution of their core health business.”

For more information on how TxtSquad uses texting technology to increase accessibility for providers, patients and administrators, please visit their website.

The goals of NL Health Services’ Innovation Strategy are to improve health-care services and programs through the application of innovative solutions; maximize health systems efficiencies and minimize associated costs by leveraging the innovation ecosystem to build partnerships and generate revenue; and generate economic development in the province and increase employment. For more information, please visit the Research and Innovation website.

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