Cardiff and Vale target DNAs with 360CRM

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board is piloting an integrated appointment reminder service to reduce its 60,000 annual did not attends, which are estimated to cost it £3m a year.

The Chronos system supplied by 360CRM is already being used in a number of NHS trusts to reduce DNAs, maximise Payment by Results income and reduce waiting times.

Chronos contacts patients using a mix of agent callers, automated calls, SMS and email a few days ahead of their appointment. If a patient cannot attend, they are given the opportunity to cancel or re-arrange. This enables NHS trusts to easily re-allocate cancelled slots.

Matthew Temby, the health board’s patient administration and outpatients directorate manager, said: “We were looking for an appointment reminder company to pilot.

"360CRM were able to demonstrate the good results that they have already had with other NHS trusts they partner with.”

360CRM says Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, an existing customer, has experienced a 43% reduction in its DNA rate as a result of Chronos. Last year, it achieved a net additional income of £579,000.

Pauline Woodrow, business development director of 360CRM said: “Chronos has the unique ability to use agent callers, which creates the most cost effective way of reducing DNAs with a degree of service that patients really welcome, creating productive outpatient clinics for NHS trusts."

Other reductions in DNAs claimed by 360CRM include a 65% improvement at NHS Dumfries and Galloway; a 38% improvement at North Middlesex NHS Trust; and a 27% improvement at Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust.

360CRM