Erasmus MC collaborates with Aurora Innovation for better and more flexible access to healthcare

Erasmus MC (university medical center) has partnered with SaaS specialist Aurora Innovation in the Netherlands to create better accessibility for patients of Erasmus MC outpatient clinics, and to improve the working environment of the nurses and other clinical workers.

Due to the global pandemic and budget cuts, the Dutch healthcare system is under immense pressure to respond to the needs of more patients with fewer resources. A major bottleneck for patient flow is incoming contacts to local healthcare centers, creating a need for more efficient patient communication and information flow.

The Aurora teleQ platform, a decentralized digital platform for the management of patient contacts, reduces and automates the overall incoming contact flow, allowing hospitals, such as Erasmus MC, to improve their productivity and spend more time caring for patients.

Erasmus MC, based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, is the largest and one of the most respected scientific university medical centers in Europe.

“The pilot was highly successful and smooth. During its implementation, additional outpatient clinics of Erasmus MC joined the project after hearing the success stories from other clinics. The Netherlands has experienced some of the strictest COVID-19 restrictions in Europe, and we have wanted to protect our staff as much as possible from too many contacts. Aurora teleQ makes it possible for personnel to work from home and not have to go to the clinics physically. This way, employees who are healthy but in quarantine can still take care of patient calls from home,” says Eric Reij, Manager Telecommunication, Erasmus MC.

With the callback feature, patients don’t have to wait on the phone to talk to a nurse and will be called back by an available healthcare professional, improving flexible access to healthcare services. Healthcare professionals can respond to patient callback requests more efficiently and plan for the busiest hours proactively, improving workflow and employee and patient satisfaction.

After the successful Aurora teleQ pilot, Erasmus MC decided to roll out the services to most outpatient clinics. The implementation included a train the trainer service from user training to final evaluation, and optimization of existing call flows as part of the partnership.

“We are very happy to work with Erasmus MC, and the feedback from all outpatient clinics has been very positive. We strive to create well-functioning work environments for healthcare professionals and help people in need of care to get access to healthcare at a time that suits both patients and healthcare providers, through the most convenient means of communication,” says Tapani Kyrki, CEO of Aurora Innovation Group.