16 | Acquisition International, Global Excellence Awards 2023 32 | Issue 12 2023 Helping Patients Get Better Faster Working in partnership with the NHS to deliver virtual outpatient services to individuals throughout the nation, Medefer is a Care Quality Commission registered provider that has come to earn itself the title of Best Patient-Focused Virtual Health Service 2023 – UK. Its dedication to its patients’ health is second to none, which has ultimately allowed it to devise solutions to age-old problems. Below, we explore what Medefer has to offer in more detail, and more so how its services have started to reshape the UK’s healthcare system as we know it. Contact: Bahman Nedjat-Shokouhi Company: Medefer Web Address: https://medefer.com/ It’s an unfortunate truth that there’s been an increase in patient waiting times ever since the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the NHS and its branches. Suddenly, being seen by a doctor got increasingly difficult for patients, and it became evident that there was a need for a comprehensive solution that’d alleviate the strain from both the public and the healthcare system alike. Enter Medefer, a virtual health service that identified the benefits of virtual platforms as a medium, and applied it to the highest degree of quality. Working online, it has already managed to reduce patient waiting times, all whilst introducing a more sustainable method of acquiring medical advice. By leveraging its bespoke software platform, Medefer has paved the way for the online management and reviewing of GP referrals. This is achieved through its team of UK-registered specialist consultants, each capable of responding to patients in due time, as opposed to making them wait for an in-person appointment. Boasting an impressive waiting time of 18 hours between GP referral to initial consultant review – a steep drop from face-to-face appointment waiting times – Medefer has proven that supporting patients as quickly as possible is an attainable feat, should the correct approach be applied. The healthcare system isn’t at fault when it comes to demand and lengthy wait times, but that doesn’t dismiss the fact that these issues are still just that – issues. Regardless of the reasoning behind a patient not being able to get a speedy appointment, it still stands that an individual could be suffering without medical advice for longer than necessary. Medefer exists to bridge this gap – it acts as a supportive force that’s able to review their situations and identify the need for further investigation, without increasing the demand for physical outpatient appointments. As such, health practitioners can focus on more urgent matters, whilst Medefer manages the reviewing of a patient’s GP referral. In terms of urgent referrals, Medefer has devised a solution to this too. Thanks to its standing within the NHS England Increasing Capacity Framework, Medefer has noted that its services have led to faster urgent referrals, with only a two-week-wait pathway. In addition, it has documented that in-person outpatient department attendance has been reduced by 70%, with over 90% of patients beyond satisfied with this new application of virtual-centric services. In turn, this has assisted Medefer in securing an average 5 weeks waiting list clearance period per specialty. Truly, the work that Medefer is having an impact, with all parties benefitting from its ingenious approach to the ongoing crisis facing our healthcare system. At its heart, Medefer is a collective that has its sights set on restructuring the healthcare sphere. It has long since recognised the difficulties facing the NHS as a whole, and has gone above and beyond to forge a solution that undeniably works. As such, not only are patients gaining quicker access to GP referral reviews in the format of virtual assistance, but they’re able to progress towards bettering their health in an astonishing pace. We’re so incredibly proud to provide Medefer with the title of Best Patient-Focused Virtual Health Service 2023 – UK, and we hope that this feature can help to capture the true magnificence behind its work.
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