Healthcode makes it easier to use its Private Practice Register
More than 800 independent practitioners a month are signing up for business support from online technology specialists Healthcode, the company has revealed.
Another 5,000 practitioners have set up a profile on its Private Practice Register (The PPR) in the last six months, taking numbers past the 30,000 milestone.
The technology enables sharing of accurate information about practices efficiently and securely with independent hospitals and private medical insurers.
Now, after listening to feedback from users and commissioning an expert usability evaluation, Healthcode hopes to make it quicker and easier to set up a PPR profile.
Improvements will include:
- A redesigned online registration page with clear, manageable sections;
- Pop-up information boxes to clarify common confusion points;
- A progress bar so users can see how much they have completed and the estimated time to completion;
- A more intuitive and easier to complete form.
Fiona Booth
Fiona Booth, head of external affairs and stakeholder engagement at Healthcode said it wanted to make it easier for other practitioners to join and reap the rewards.
Sharing essential information
This includes being able to securely store and control essential information about their practice in one place and share it efficiently, such as when maintaining hospital practising privileges or updating banking details.
She said: ‘In line with our collaborative approach to developing all our products and services, we have sought input from existing users in order to improve the experience of new registrants. We are addressing their concerns with a clearer, less onerous registration process while ensuring that The PPR remains a valuable information resource.’
‘Free one-to-one online tutorials are also available to help practitioners register and maintain their PPR profile. These are available through the new Healthcode Academy.’
Product marketing manager Desné Marston said the company was focused on ensuring The PPR was a sector-wide data solution that meets all stakeholders’ needs.
‘As well as seeking feedback from individual users, we have invited practitioner organisations, including the BMA’s Private Practice Committee, the Independent Doctors Federation and the Federation of Independent Practitioner Organisations, along with hospital groups and insurer to join the PPR Data Standards Group (DSG), which recently met for the first time.
‘The DSG will be instrumental in steering the future development of The PPR and its alignment with the Medical Practitioners Assurance Framework.’