Patients using one of Centrik’s patient portal apps now have the option to book an appointment on behalf of someone else, providing a seamless experience for parents and caregivers to easily make an appointment for their whānau or dependent who they assist with healthcare.

The option to book for someone else is now available on patient apps powered by Centrik, including Well, The Doctors, Local Doctors, and Better Health Outcomes – with feature parity across mobile and the online patient portal. 

When booking an appointment for someone else patients will be able to select from the same options available to them when booking for themselves, including selecting a preferred practitioner or the next available appointment, and the location and time that best suits them and the person they are booking for.

Patients can also select between in-person or video consults from within the patient portal app, when this option is offered by their practice.

When a practice is accepting payment for appointments through the Centrik patient portal, the price displayed will reflect the relevant price for the person the appointment is being booked for, with variable pricing applied based on age, enrolment status, or for weekend or after hours appointments.

Payment is captured seamlessly within the patient app or online patient portal, providing a modern and secure experience for the patient making the appointment booking.

For General Practice teams, the appointment will appear in the Practice Management System (PMS) under the name of the person the appointment is booked for. If a practice is accepting bookings for unregistered patients, a new patient record will be created in the PMS.

Centrik has standards-based integration with the Medtech PMS using the ALEX® API platform and adhering to HL7® FHIR®, the international standard for health data interoperability.

Co-designed together with healthcare providers, booking for someone else is a further Centrik feature developed to help relieve the pressure on General Practice teams, removing the need to call the practice to book an appointment on behalf of whānau and empowering patients with the ability to arrange appointments at a time convenient to them.

For more information on Centrik’s frictionless digital solution, purpose built to meet the needs of healthcare providers and their patients, check out the Centrik website or get in touch for a demo.