How Fitback went from spreadsheets to a bespoke client portal with PPS
Fitback first partnered with PPS in 2015, and since then, our relationship has continued to evolve and flourish. We caught up with Finance Director Amanda Newman to discuss how Fitback’s requirements have changed over the years and how they have adapted PPS to facilitate their growing business, including a bespoke API project that completely transformed how they manage their growing list of corporate clients.
Solutions used:
How Fitback went from spreadsheets to a bespoke client portal with PPS
Fitback first partnered with PPS in 2015, and since then, our relationship has continued to evolve and flourish. We caught up with Finance Director Amanda Newman to discuss how Fitback’s requirements have changed over the years and how they have adapted PPS to facilitate their growing business, including a bespoke API project that completely transformed how they manage their growing list of corporate clients.
Solutions used:
Overview
Challenges
- Manage multiple client databases across several sites from one central location
- Maintain data security for each client whilst maintaining easy access for the client and internal team
- Allow secure client access to appointment booking and essential treatment update notes
- Streamline communications including appointment confirmations and reminders
Solutions
- PPS Hosted facilitates easy access to multiple client databases from any location
- Individual client database for each corporate client creates a secure environment with plenty of room for customisation and growth
- Bespoke client portal development using PPS' API to enable corporate clients to manage their employees
- Customising PPS' automated appointment booking confirmations and reminder to suit each corporate client
About FitBack
Established in 2007, FitBack is a leading provider of specialised occupational health physiotherapy and health and wellbeing initiatives to businesses across the UK. With an ever-growing client base of corporate clients from SME’s to FTSE 100 companies, FitBack offers a wide range of services including risk assessments, wellness days, hands-on treatment, corporate pregnancy workshops and more.
FitBack is supported by a large network of experienced physiotherapists across the UK that enables them to provide a consistently high level of service to their clients via regular onsite sessions and the ability to work responsively based on demand.
More recently, FitBack has also introduced a mental health service; Resilient Minds.
How FitBack integrated PPS into everyday operations
When FitBack first started using PPS, we took the time to discuss and understand the business needs and how they wanted to manage their expanding client base. Because FitBack works with so many large organisations, the decision was made to set up a PPS Hosted database for each corporate client, ensuring data integrity and the ability to manage and nurture each client individually. It was important to FitBack to implement an online solution for ease of access across the UK and for the added security benefits that come with our Hosting service.
Having a PPS Hosted database for each client enables FitBack to customise the service that they provide, including the ability to manage multiple locations and departments, a requirement for many of the organisations that utilise their services.
Each PPS Hosted database can facilitate a large number of employee details to support clients with growing businesses or high staff turnover and enables the retention of patient details for as long as required.
FitBack manage their network of practitioners by adding each user to the relevant PPS Hosted database, giving them access to the client data needed to provide their services. Using access controls FitBack can ensure that each practitioner only has access to the clients and locations that they work with. Access controls also ensure that practitioners only have access to the areas of PPS needed to complete their work, including client details and treatment notes, meaning all other areas of PPS, such as accounts and reports are not available to them.
Many of the practitioners working with FitBack will operate over multiple locations, using PPS Hosted enables them to access their patient data from anywhere, on any internet-connected device, giving them the freedom needed to adapt to their working environments as onsite locations can vary from warehouses to staff rooms.
The team of physiotherapists also take full advantage of PPS’ third-party software integrations, regularly using Rehab My Patient to prescribe at-home exercises as applicable.
The ability to provide their clients with data on their Return On Investment is vital to Fitback. Utilising multiple data sources including PPS and internal absence records, Fitback are able to produce this data to show the value of their services.
The PPS reports wizard also enables the team to get an insight into other valuable KPIs that they use to create quarterly reports for their clients, this could show statistics such as the number of shoulder injuries so that the client can take steps to reduce these instances within the organisation. The data available in PPS can be output into graphs and charts to create an easily digestible report.
API project
In any thriving business, keeping operations as efficient and streamlined as possible is paramount. With a rapidly expanding number of clients, FitBack started to find their previous method of client management to be sub-optimal. Using spreadsheets to share and update employee data was getting out of hand, with an increasing number of spreadsheets and a time-consuming back-and-forth process, they were keen to make a change.
With the introduction of our API, FitBack embarked on a project to develop a bespoke client portal that would enable them to manage their clients and provide a user-friendly facility for their clients to utilise as part of their service.
In order to ensure that the portal would meet all of FitBack’s needs, they set about mapping out the data and functionality required to provide the service that they envisaged.
Fast Forward to today and FitBack now has a custom client portal that their clients are delighted with and has increased their efficiency tenfold.
How it works
Fitback provides each corporate client with a number of logins to access their online client portal. Upon logging in, the representative of the company will be limited to the location from which they work and will have the ability to add a staff member and book them in for an appointment with the practitioner. They will have full visibility of the treatment sessions available via an appointment diary and can choose an available slot to book their employee in for an assessment or treatment. If the staff member has previously been treated, the client will be able to review their treatment history, including vital information such as discharge status.
FitBack has efficiently utilised our API to pull this information from PPS to the client portal, meaning that as the practitioner updates their notes and availability via PPS, selected snippets of key information are also available to the client via the portal, maintaining patient confidentiality whilst sharing the necessary updates. Any actions taken by the client, such as adding a new staff member or booking an appointment, is also synced into PPS, giving the practitioners and HQ staff members full visibility on all of their clients actions and updates.
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In order to give their clients an easily digestible update on each staff member that has been seen by the practitioner, FitBack has also implemented a custom form as part of the treatment session. Following each treatment session or assessment, as the practitioner is updating the treatment episode, they will be prompted to fill out a custom form called ‘HR Feedback’ This gives the practitioner a free text box, in which they can add a comment that summarises the session which the corporate client can then review via the portal. FitBack has had really positive feedback from its clients on how this system works and the instant updates that it provides.
As part of this service, FitBack also take full advantage of the automation system available in PPS. By automatically sending out booking confirmations and reminders when an appointment is booked via the portal, FitBack’s clients have seen a dramatic reduction in the amount of admin needed to support the service from their side, no longer needing to manually share booking details with each employee. This process has also significantly reduced DNA rates and increased clinic utilisation, overall adding even more value to the service provided.
Utilising the API in this manner not only eradicates the need for any duplicate data entry for the FitBack team, but it also empowers their clients with a simple, yet incredibly effective way of managing this invaluable service and their workforce. Adding the portal has introduced an easy way for both parties to streamline their workflow and has enabled FitBack to confidently onboard and manage new clients as they continue to expand.
Continuing to thrive
We are committed to continuing to provide the best possible service to FitBack and find it incredibly inspiring to watch them continue to grow and thrive with the support of PPS. As part of our partnership, we regularly review the way in which FitBack utilises all of the features and functionality available in PPS’ and as we too, grow and evolve, we hope to be able to continue to provide new and innovative services to help them to succeed.
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