A healthcare technology firm has developed a mobile application to enhance efficiency and access to health services.
The smart access application developed by Smart Applications International enables patients covered under medical insurance or corporate cover to access services at a click of a button.
Available on Android and iphone Operating System, the application facilitates easy identification of patients and and their insurance cover, aiding in quick access of services at over 4, 400 health facilities spread across the country.
Smart Applications Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Harrison Muiru said the service is also available through a USSD code for patients who don’t have smartphones.
The innovation, he said, was a buildup on the biometric identification infrastructure which the company has rolled out across the country, adding that the smart access platform was fast and efficient and will save facilities time spent calling insurance companies to verify beneficiary details.
‘When a patient visits a facility, they immediately know which service to offer them based on the contract parameters they have with the insurer,’ he said.
The company, he added, would continue to develop smart solutions to enhance efficiency in the delivery of health services.
‘We have been in this sector for over 20 years now. We are impressed by the government’s commitment to scale up E-health, and as a company, we shall continue to develop solutions that are patient-centered,’ he said.
Speaking during the inaugural Health Service Providers Summit in Kisumu, Muiru said the smart access system was set to enhance consistency in medical records to enhance better treatment outcomes.
Smart Systems International Head of Product Delivery and Support Purity Njagi said that through the mobile application, principal beneficiaries who hitherto had to physically appear at a facility to authorise other members to get services will do so on the applications and share a generated short code to facilitate the process.
‘Most mothers leave their children with caregivers, and when they fall sick, they are forced to return home to take them to the hospital. However, this application enables them to authorize the service on their mobile phones and share the code with the caregivers to access services at a health facility,’ she said.
Head of Hospital Operations Esther Macharia said the firm was working with health facilities to enhance efficiency in their processes and improve the patient experience.
In line with this, she added that the company has developed a Comprehensive Hospital Management Information System (HMIS) to revolutionize healthcare administration.
She disclosed that the system manages point-to-point operations of health facilities alongside stocks and financial records to ensure efficiency in their operations.
Source: Kenya News Agency