Reinforcing its digital technology expertise, KASIKORNBANK (KBank) has collaborated with five public hospitals, i.e., King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Chonburi Hospital, Thammasat University Hospital, Rajavithi Hospital and the Neurological Institute of Thailand in the development of full-fledged digital healthcare platforms to enhance healthcare service capability in their drive towards “Smart Hospitals”. This cooperative effort involves the launch of applications that connect patients to these hospitals for using services. Available now, the apps are expected to be downloaded by more than 1 million users of public hospitals. The initiative will allow OPD patients of public hospitals – now totaling around 4 million – to gain improved access to healthcare services with reduced risk of COVID-19 infection in the ‘new normal’ era. Meanwhile, KBank will soon team with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) to develop an app for 11 hospitals under the BMA Medical Service Department.
Ms. Kattiya Indaravijaya, KBank Chief Executive Officer, said, “Determined to take part in steering all sectors across Thai society, KBank has leveraged its expertise in digital platform development through the application of digital technology to create innovations for the optimum societal benefit. Hospitals are essential to health promotion and a good quality of life for all Thais. This joint effort in developing digital healthcare platforms aims to reduce hospitals’ administrative burdens while enhancing service efficiency for patients and other people using services at hospitals that see high traffic every day. The applications, developed by KBank with the use of digital health systems, efficiently link the hospital service ecosystem to management, which is in sync with the pandemic-induced ‘new normal’ era.”
“Given our expertise in digital platform development, KBank has developed an application for each hospital which comprises three main elements that can efficiently respond to the needs of both users and service providers. They are, i.e., 1) Connecting to the Hospital Information System (HIS) which allows for the display of accurate and rapid results, thus helping to streamline work processes and cut time involved. 2) Creating a more satisfying customer experience via a user-friendly application that can be used both in and outside of the hospitals; and 3) Connecting to various payment systems and financial services. To achieve the target of becoming smart hospitals and ensure that the more than 4 million OPD patients have convenient and quick access to healthcare services with minimum risk of COVID-19, those features will be made more comprehensive,” said Ms. Kattiya.
The applications that KBank has jointly developed with five public hospitals are: 1) Chula Care (King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital); 2) CBH PLUS (Chonburi Hospital); 3) TUH for All (Thammasat University Hospital); 4) RJ Connect (Rajavithi Hospital); and 5) NIT PLUS (Neurological Institute of Thailand). They can be downloaded via the App Store or Play Store. Seven key service features that KBank has jointly developed* include:
- Social Security Medical benefit checking service: This service feature, which is linked with the database of the National Health Security Office (NHSO), allows users to check their entitlements for medical treatment under the three healthcare schemes, namely Universal Health Coverage (known as the Gold Card), Social Security Scheme and Civil Servant Medical Benefit Scheme.
- Appointment service: This feature allows users to make an appointment with participating hospitals. It shows appointment details and sends notifications.
- Visit guide service: This feature provides details of steps in receiving medical services, including procedures to consult with physicians and/or nurses, make bill payments, and obtain medicines, X-rays, blood tests and laboratory services.
- Payment service: Bill payment can be made via K PLUS, Thai QR Code scan, credit and debit cards.
- Donation service: This feature offers users convenience in making donations to hospitals.
- News service: This feature provides news and health-related information of participating hospitals.
- Map service: This feature provides location details of clinics, food courts, and various stores at participating hospitals.
Recently, KBank, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) and the BMA Medical Service Department signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to develop a single application for use with patients of their 11 affiliated hospitals. This application will be launched in early 2022.