Island MARS Technical Information and Q's and A's

MARS Managed Appointment Reminder Service is a product designed by and owned by Island Communications and is a very effective tool to address the problem of appointment non attendance.

MARS is ideally suited to the Health Sector and many other commercial applications.

MARS Managed Appointment Reminder Service

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Q. How simple is it to implement MARS?

A. MARS is well proven as a simple and powerful application and is very easy to set up. One of the biggest benefits of the application is the initial and on going support that is provided as part of the MARS application. IT Teams find the set up process surprisingly easy to manage and we have some simple file formats to accept data in a very secure way. We receive an automated feed of data which reaches MARS daily around 3 to 6 days ahead of the Patient or Customer Appointment. The data includes: Patient name, Appointment details of date, time, location and each message normally ends with an invitation to the Patient or Customer to respond back should they be unable to attend their appointment. We collect all responses and present these live on the MARS Management system so that administrators may effectively note the responses and take appropriate action.

Q. How quickly can MARS be set up ?

A. As a Managed Service, MARS comes with a support infrastructure which includes help at all stages. This includes the important set up stage which is made painless by our experienced IT team who work with Trust IT personnel to initiate the secure Data Transfer process. This can be arranged in as little as a few days or quicker if all required information is available. Once set up, feeds reach us through secure data transfer protocols and this becomes a secure automated process.

Q. How Secure is the MARS Application ?

A. MARS is a very secure application accommodated in a high security environment. Extensive resilience is built in with back up and duplication. All personnel connected with the processing of Patient data are independently vetted and registered on the Register to comply with all aspects of the Data Protection Act. All aspects of the Management system are regularly vetted and tested to comply with the most stringent of requirements necessary within the Financial Services Funds transfer procedures as used by the UK's leading banks and financial institutions. We believe this to be the most secure and robust environment available. No Patient data is transmitted or passed outwith the strict controls of the MARS application.

Q. We dont have all of our Patients / Customer Mobile numbers can you help us?

A. The MARS OPT-IN Service offers Customers a simple and very effective means of registration by sending a SMS message to a short code with a key word identifier followed by their name and Postcode, we can supply all captured data through secure web based access to help quickly build Customer / Patient data bases.

Q. Is MARS costly to set up ?

A. The good news is that MARS as a Managed Service, is provided at low cost. The application is fully supported on going on the basis of a small fee per reminder sent. There is no hidden costs, no Hardware, no Software or licences to purchase. There are no set up fees and no Monthly Management charges to pay. Customer support and on-going Account Management is included at no cost.

In short, each reminder with all of its supporting infrastructure is provided at significantly lower than the cost of a second class stamp and this can decrease on high reminder volumes.

Some Customers prefer flexibility in pricing infrastructure and Island Communications MARS can accomodate this by offering a management fee based pricing structure to help lower the Text Reminder cost element. Whatever suits, we may have the required flexibility.

Q. Is it possible to make MARS meet specific Customer requirements ?

A. The MARS application has been designed in close cooperation with the NHS to meet a wide range of Trust and Hospital requirements. The MARS application has significant integration possibilities and as a fully managed system, our Account Management skills are provided to help Trusts gain the greatest advantage possible. MARS is a well proven reliable process and one that offers Customers an opportunity to consider future enhancement and integration possibilities.

Q. How can my part of the NHS order MARS?

A.  MARS is provided to the NHS via a C&W’s Catalist Specialist Solutions "framework" contract, which avoids organisations having to Tender for the service.

Q. Can MARS manage Patient responses to reminders sent ?

A. One of the major attractions of MARS is the system's ability to handle Patient responses, We offer Patients the opportunity to decline their appointment rather than become another DNA statistic. This Allows hospital staff to note the declined appointment and perhaps offer an alternative. The declined appointment time may also be offered to another patient helping to reduce waiting lists.

Some Patients respond to their reminder with confirmation of attendance and others sometimes provide added information such as "Yes I will attend but please arrange wheelchair at front door"

Q. How do we know MARS is of benefit to us.

A. As a fully managed Service, MARS offers comprehensive Web based reports to show a wide range of statistics including Patient responses, (Declined appointments or other responses) delivery reports, and much more. This is delivered at a variety of levels: Trust, Organisation (Hospital), Department. We also provide details of any unsuccessful distributions to allow a cleanse of Patient Data on the PAS system. The Management system is very simple to use and all users are provided with a user name and password to allow access to the system at the agreed levels.

This comprehensive information combined with summary reports comes together to serve as a Business Case to measure the effectiveness of the system on a regular basis.

Further help needed ? : Please contact: sales@islandcommunications.co.uk