Sara De Lima
COO at SöderÖgon
What successes or milestones have you achieved recently?
We opened SöderÖgon just over two years ago. At that time, CEO Maria Kugelberg and I were the ones working clinically. Gradually, we have expanded our operations and began performing cataract surgeries from November 2021. Since the start, we have now operated on nearly 8,000 eyes, including a little over 4,300 this year. Our ophthalmology practice is also growing, with several ophthalmologists specializing in various areas joining us, and this year we have had 13,000 visits to the clinic.
What opportunities did you see when you heard about Zymego?
First and foremost, to avoid empty appointment slots, but to also reduce the pressure on the staff managing bookings.
What is the most important result you have achieved from using Zymego?
We have reduced the number of empty appointment slots due to late cancellations. As a bonus, we also receive fewer calls from patients wanting to change their appointments, since they can do that themselves using Zymego.
Tell us about the challenges you had before starting with Zymego that made you want to try the service.
Previously when we had late cancellations, an administrator or nurse had to try to call patients from a list, who wanted to come earlier. We had written that list on a paper. It was a rather time-consuming and not entirely reliable system.
What considerations did you make before choosing to implement Zymego?
Whether it would be cost-effective and if it would involve much more work to get started with it.
What were your concerns about the system?
We have many different types of appointments and were concerned it would become messy. We were also worried about whether it would go as smoothly as promised, since previous experiences with new systems had shown that it often doesn't, but I can say in this case, it was smooth.
Who in the organization had these concerns, and what made them still want to try Zymego?
Maria and I, but after the information we received from Zymego, we felt that they had already thought about everything.
What made you decide to start using Zymego?
The fact that Ingmar (one of the founders) is a doctor himself and that the idea came from a practical problem he experienced, the same problem, I believe everyone in healthcare struggles with. The system felt well thought out from a user perspective too.
How did you experience the startup of Zymego?
There was a bit of tinkering to think through which types of appointments should be included and how we structured them in our electronic patient record (EPR) system. But after that, we didn't really notice much of it.
How long until you experienced a noticeable effect from Zymego being operational?
It only took a few days.
What do you appreciate most about Zymego?
Its simplicity. We don't notice much of Zymego, and that's not something we're used to with various IT systems integrated into our record systems. It's economically advantageous, of course, not to have empty appointment slots in the calendar, especially in the surgery department. Our administration team has noticed a big difference since we started using Zymego; there are far fewer calls regarding rescheduling and manual waiting lists for earlier appointments are now almost nonexistent.
What problems have you encountered with the implementation of Zymego?
I changed the names of a few slot types without notifying Zymego, and then the system couldn't find the times because of how our EPR system works. Now I know that's how it works, and there haven't been any problems since.
How have you needed to adjust your schedule after Zymego started handling bookings?
If yes, how and has it been positive or negative?We've added some emergency slots every day that Zymego doesn't automatically fill. Before Zymego, there were always some gaps where we could accommodate emergency visits, but since the gaps are now usually filled by Zymego, we don't have those times anymore. The advantage of us scheduling the emergency slots ourselves is that we can schedule them when it suits us, usually at the end of the day, and thus utilise them better.
How do you find it working with Zymego? Is there anything particularly positive?
Very good. Always quick response times, the few times we've needed support.
What do patients think of Zymego?
A few times a week, we actually receive feedback from patients that they have used Zymego and shortened their waiting time, which they appreciate a lot. Most patients think the web app works well. Some of our older patients may not fully understand how it works and call us, and then we encourage them to start using Zymego.
What results have you achieved by using Zymego?
Fewer empty appointment slots.
Do staff notice Zymego handling bookings?
Yes, for example, if doctors print out their booking lists at the beginning of the day, there may be changes during the day without them being aware of it. A minor "issue" is that Zymego is so fast. Sometimes administrators start a booking that is then "snatched" by Zymego before they have finished booking it.
Do you have any practical examples of how Zymego helps your clinic?
Better utilization of resources. When there are long waiting times for a particular subspecialty, we now rarely have empty appointment slots because there is a high demand for short-notice appointments.
What would you say to other clinics considering starting to use Zymego?
That they don't need to be afraid that it will involve a lot of extra work. The implementation required very little work on our part, compared to other systems that we have implemented.
Why do you recommend Zymego?
I would recommend it because the implementation was very easy; we don't notice the system, more than that we don't have many empty appointment slots. It's also an opportunity for patients to shorten their waiting time.
