‘Pay as you go’ triage system launched at HC2007
A mobile phone-style ‘pay as you go’ scheme was launched last month
(March) at the
Healthcare Computing conference and exhibition in Harrogate.
The scheme, by Colwyn Bay-based Plain Healthcare, was created to be
used with its best-selling clinical decision-support program.
TAS Odyssey, which is used by the out-of-hours providers commissioned
by 55% of English PCTs, is now available to GPs throughout the UK and
Northern Ireland as a pay as you go (PAYG) option.
As with mobile phone pay-as-you-go schemes, buying TAS Odyssey by the
new method is cheaper for lower levels of usage than having a full
licence offering unrestricted use. It is ideal for most practices’
requirements for nurse telephone assessment and clinical decision
support. Through PAYG they can sample the benefits of telephone triage
and then upgrade to a longer-term contract as they use it more.
Plain Healthcare’s Head of Sales and Marketing Chris Coyne said: “GPs
who buy on a PAYG basis will gain all the features that have made TAS
Odyssey so popular. Using TAS Odyssey to support nurse telephone
assessments will help practices ensure that patients get the most
appropriate care for their clinical needs and will positively contribute
to the efficient running of the practice.
“Based on UK experience, up to 50% of appointment requests could be
safely triaged to self-care advice”, said Coyne. “We have launched the
pay-as-you-go option because we appreciate that there are practices that
feel that they are not ready to take a full contract and we think that
it will provide the ideal starter option for them.”
Source: bjhc&im April 2007
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