Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) has expanded its convenient online medical report application service to include all HMC healthcare facilities. People can apply online in Arabic or English to request a medical report for themselves or on behalf of someone else and pay the fees online without having to visit the hospital. Dr. Yousuf Al-Maslamani, Medical Director at Hamad General Hospital, explained the service enhancement was in response to public demand for more convenient ways to obtain personal medical information. “This patient friendly service is much more convenient for patients and their families while also conforming to our infection control protocols by reducing the need for people to visit the hospital just to obtain their medical reports. This solution will help reduce overcrowding in our hospitals of people who are coming on-site for the sole purpose of obtaining a medical report.”“In most cases people can simply submit the application online and receive the final reports to their home or office through Qatar Post. In some cases, applicants can collect the reports from the Nesma’ak Customer Service desk in the hospital. The Nesma’ak team, which can be reached by calling 16060, can also provide some telephone support for people experiencing difficulties with the online application process,” added Dr. Al-Maslamani.Release of information (ROI) is an essential service in healthcare, but due to the coronavirus infection risks, infection control protocols have been applied across HMC hospitals to limit visit to hospitals other than for special reasons. This solution enables patients or their authorized guardians to apply for a report and pay with a credit card online. The final report will then be delivered by Qatar Post, adding to the efficiency and convenience of the whole process.Ali Al Khater, Chief Communications Officer at HMC and Chairman Supreme Committee for Healthcare Communications at the Ministry of Public Health explained that the impetus for this program was to support staff and patient safety, especially during this pandemic. “A key infection control measure is restricting the number of physical documents that are handled by different people and this electronic solution enables more efficient and safer handing of documents. Another key customer service feature is that is allows applicants to track their order. In Qatar our goal is to promote electronic solutions where appropriate to deliver system efficiencies and ultimately better patient care and experience.”Nasser Al Naimi, HMC's Deputy Chief of Quality, Center for Patient Experience and Staff Engagement and Director of the Hamad Healthcare Quality Institute explained that this program is part of HMC’s efforts to enhance patient care and experience.“We launched the Online Medical Report Application Service last August but at that time it only covered Hamad General Hospital. While that is our largest and busiest hospital, we wanted to pilot the service with one facility to see what enhancements we needed to make this a more efficient and effective solution for people. Now we are extending this service to other HMC’s facilities. This service was designed with patient centered care in mind and we are delighted with the positive feedback we have received so far.” HMC processes between 80 to 90,000 requests for medical information annually; approximately 60,000 of these requests are handled by Hamad General Hospital alone. The new smart system enables request to be made online, along with the fees payment through the secure payment gateway arranged with Qatar National Bank. Once finalized, patients can request the option for Qatar Post to deliver their medical reports to their doorstep for a nominal fee. Where possible, completed reports can also be emailed to the patient’s authorized email address.