Macquarie University Hospital, Sydney, Australia

Macquarie University Hospital, Sydney, Australia

A large private hospital with a unique solution for their patients and staff

500-1000 staff

All overnight patients

The Challenge

• To provide an easy payment system for goods and services to overnight patients
• The control of staff expenditure on subsidized meals
• A system that will allow patients to request various goods from their hospital bed
• The ability to use a card with credit loaded on it to pay for meals and other services in the hospital
• Ensure that the solution synchronizes with the hospitals’ Active Directory
• For staff to be able to purchase goods at the Café, Staff Canteen or Coffee cart using their ID card. Before the Monitor solution staff would line up at the café to get a lunch voucher to purchase their lunch at the Staff Canteen

The Solution

• iPOS
• My Monitor
• Credit Card Gateway
• Supervisor Express
• Express Kiosks

The Result

Monitor has implemented a POS solution – iPOS to create a patient and staff experience like no other in Australia. The Hospital’s staff have an account which is housed in Supervisor Net that holds their account balance, card number, department codes etc. Staff use their existing ID card to purchase goods on site such as food and drink from cafes in three locations. Staff can also add value to their accounts using either the Express Kiosks throughout the hospital or My Monitor where they can purchase food from the café. My Monitor also allows users to set low balance reminders and they can view statements of their usage. Using a charge card loaded with funds, patients can use the POS solution installed at their bedside to order meals, entertainment such as FoxTel and movies on demand, internet access, telephone calls (including Skype), call button for the patient’s nurse, and patients can even view their own medical records. Before the Monitor solution was installed, patients were not being charged for FoxTel or the internet which was lost revenue for the hospital. The charge card also allows patients who leave their money in their room, to be able to pay for goods from the hospital when they’re out and about in the hospital. Value can be added to the patient’s charge card either using My Monitor or the Express Kiosks. Patients using My Monitor can also access Monitor’s shopping basket application allowing them to purchase goods from the café via the web. When the goods are purchased, an email is sent to relevant retail outlet with confirmation of who purchased the goods, what was purchased and the location of the patient. The purchased goods are then delivered straight to the patient’s room. Once patients have been discharged, they will be able to return their charge cards and get the remaining credit put back onto their credit card. This can be done at the Express Kiosks where the patients can insert their charge card, select the refund option and the outstanding balance on the charge card can be refunded directly back to a selected credit card.

The Future

• Provide access from outside the hospital so patient’s family members can top up the patient account from anywhere
• Have the café as a shop front on the portal so patients or staff can order goods and either pick the goods up or have the goods delivered
• Integrate the Pharmacy into the existing Monitor solution

“This system has allowed staff to purchase items any time and not having to have cash on them at all times. It has reduced the waiting time for staff meals in the staff canteen and faster turnaround at the café, and coffee cart.” – Kevin Koelmeyer