Case Study | NL Allergy and Immunology

From chaos to automated clarity

Case Study | NL Allergy and Immunology

From overwhelmed to connected.

About NL Allergy and Immunology

NL Allergy and Immunology in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, provides expert pediatric and adult care for patients facing life-threatening allergies or immune system disorders. It is the only clinic in the city with board-certified immunologists, dedicated to assessing and treating conditions such as food allergies, medicine allergies, chronic hives, asthma, and immunodeficiencies.

  • EHR: Telus MedAccess

  • 3 board-certified clinicians

  • Using ACM Alerts

The Challenge: Communication Bottlenecks and Inefficiencies

NL Allergy & Immunology faced significant challenges in managing patient communication and administrative tasks. Office Manager Jerry Arsenault noted that high volumes of patient calls became unmanageable, reaching up to 70 calls a day, as patients frequently called with questions. Their initial EMR platform, chosen in 2014, was inadequate for their administrative needs. Jerry specifically cited:

  • Unmet administrative needs
  • Poor document control
  • No integration of patient communication

Furthermore, with many referrals, individual patient calls were impossible. Jerry Arsenault highlighted this, stating, “One of the biggest issues we have is a large volume of referrals. It’s just not possible to call everyone individually”. Their previous “hodgepodge process” for notifications took about five minutes per patient.

It can be challenging to get in to see doctors in the city who are not allergy specialists. We do what we can to help our patients. When they call in, they talk to a real person. If they have questions, we find the answers

Jerry Arsenault | Office Manager

The Solution: Seamless Platform Integration

To overcome these challenges, the clinic sought an enhanced solution. They transitioned to MedAccess, an EMR platform that offers improved care delivery between health professionals by providing real-time access to patient health records.

Critically, MedAccess also offered a seamless and highly configurable integration with Cliniconex’s Automated Care Platform (ACM Alerts). This integration was designed to make patient engagement “a breeze”, automating communication and collaboration.

ACM Alerts has greatly reduced our phone calls from patients with questions. We get only 20 calls a day now instead of the usual 70.

Jerry Arsenault | Office Manager

The Impact of Automation

The Results: A Marked Improvement

The combined implementation of MedAccess and ACM Alerts significantly transformed the clinic’s operational efficiency, establishing a “well-oiled machine” in the front office:

With the previous system, we had to send notifications through a hodgepodge process that took about five minutes per patient. Med Access and ACM Alerts work together seamlessly. Now, it’s all done automatically.

Jerry Arsenault | Office Manager

  • Dramatic Call Reduction: Daily incoming patient calls for questions dropped sharply from an average of 70 to just 20.

  • Automated Notification Delivery: Patient notification processes became entirely automated and seamless. Jerry Arsenault confirmed, “Med Access and ACM Alerts work together seamlessly. Now, it’s all done automatically”.

  • Improved Patient Information Dissemination: The capability to send text messages, including clinic address, phone number, and pre-appointment instructions, has proven extremely valuable.

  • Substantial Workload Reduction: The integrated solution “has collectively reduced the clinic’s workload by 25%”.

  • Enhanced Communication Oversight: Daily reports provide essential data on notification status, delivery confirmation, and any contact failures.