Health at the patient's fingertips

The Exprivia technology to book and pay visits directly in pharmacies

Improving a service can mean just making it accessible. Thanks to the memorandum of understanding stipulated between Federfarma Bari, Bari Polyclinic and Exprivia, it is possible to book specialist visits and make co-payments in 241 accredited pharmacies in the wider Bari area. Citizens will be able to go to their family pharmacy with the NHS referral prescribed by the physician and their NHS card. The pharmacist, connecting to the Single Booking Centre (CUP) of the Polyclinic through the system set up by Exprivia, will book the specialist visit and will offer the first available spot, extrapolated by the system, to the requesting citizen.

It is a true game-changer, because the health care information system used hitherto to allow intercommunication between the players of the health care organisation, in particular the Puglia Regional Government, the Local Health Authorities and the hospitals, has evolved and becomes open to the public. Pharmacies thus become actual proximity service centres to assist citizens, improving their quality of life.

We have carried out an intensive training activity for approximately 250 pharmacists of the Bari Metropolitan Area, to make them able to use the new system on their own. In the first month alone, the service recorded over 300 requests to book specialist visits, and in light of these positive results we can only hope it will be widely adopted throughout the Country.