Ashgrove Physiotherapy: a front desk dashboard

The problem

A physiotherapy front desk answers the door, the phone and the card machine at once. Who has arrived, who has not filled in their form and who still owes a payment live in 3 different places. Something slips each day, usually the thing that needed one quick message.

What we built

For Ashgrove Physiotherapy, a made up clinic, we would build a front desk screen. It is one screen for the day: who is coming, who has arrived, who has not sent their intake form and who still owes a payment. Each of those has a single button.

Problem and answer

• The desk does not know who is in the waiting room.

  Today's appointments sit in time order. Check in is one tap, and Finished is one more.

• A patient forgets, and the empty hour is only noticed when it arrives.

  The screen shows who has had a reminder and who has not. A button sends one right away.

• A first visit starts with a form the patient never filled in.

  Forms that have not arrived are listed with a Send a nudge button, so the form is in before the visit.

• Small amounts owed get forgotten.

  A short list of payments still owed, each cleared with one tap when the money arrives.

• Patient details are private.

  We would agree with the owner what is kept, who sees it and for how long, and check the rules that apply to a clinic before launch.

How it works

1. 01In the morning the desk opens the screen and sees the day in time order.
2. 02Reminders and form nudges that are missing are marked, and a tap sends them.
3. 03As patients arrive, the desk checks them in. The therapist sees who is here.
4. 04After the visit the desk marks it finished and clears any payment.

Works with

• The clinic's own appointment book, if it allows it, for the day's list
• A text message service and email, for reminders and nudges
• A form on the clinic's own website, for intake forms
• Square or Stripe, for payments taken at the desk

The plan we would follow

1. Week 1We sit at the front desk for a morning and write down what is checked, by whom and where.
2. Weeks 2 and 3We build the day list, the forms list and the payments list.
3. Week 4The desk staff run a quiet day on the new screen beside the old way, and we fix what differs.
4. Week 5We connect the appointment book, texts and payments, and agree who can see what.
5. Week 6Launch, with a short walk through for the people at the desk.

What the owner keeps

• The tool's code and designs
• The records, in an account in the clinic's name
• The text, form and payment accounts
• The domain name and the hosting account