Northwick Park Hospital A&E

30th March 2020

Northwick Park Hospital, part of the London North West Healthcare NHS Trust, are now able to capture lost prescription payment revenue and, in turn, generate a substantial income stream. With the installation of an EPN Prescription Payment Kiosk, they’ve been able to successfully implement a simple, robust payment system for staff and patients to follow.

Challenge

Like many A&E Departments across the NHS, Northwick Park Hospital were losing revenue every day because patients weren’t being charged the standard £8.60 for their prescriptions, instead receiving them for free. Without a payment facility available or a reliable system in place – especially during the ‘Out of Hours’ service when the onsite Pharmacy is shut – patients would normally leave the department with their prescriptions for free. The challenge Northwick Park faced was to try and generate some much needed income, and raise awareness to combat the culture of giving prescriptions away for free.

Solution

EasyPay Network has installed a touch screen payment kiosk into the Accident and Emergency Department. The kiosk is used by patients to pay for their prescriptions. The self-service kiosk accepts credit/debit cards, contactless and Apple pay.

The kiosks are very easy to use, for both patients and the department. The kiosks represent a cost effective way to increase our revenue collection for prescription payments.

Matthew Pomeroy – Clinical General Manager

Goals

The main goal for the Trust was to generate income and reduce budget spend by capturing lost revenue. For a 12-hour period when the onsite Pharmacy shut, the normal practice was to dispense prescriptions free of charge. The Trust wanted to be more compliant and improve operational efficiencies in this time period. In addition, they wanted to reduce bottlenecks and the number of patients who continually used the service on a regular basis, knowing they’d receive their prescriptions for no charge.

Process

If a patient requires a prescription, the Hospital staff member directs them to use the payment kiosk. Once paid, the kiosk will print out a two-part receipt as proof of purchase. The patient then returns to the member of staff, and they will receive their prescription in exchange for the receipt. It’s a simple, yet extremely effective process, allowing the Trust to capture revenue at ease, without staff needing to be involved in the payment process.

Results

The kiosk at Northwick Park Hos has helped them generate substantial revenue. In the final quarter of 2017, the kiosk has generated approximately £2000 per month in Prescription sales.