May 25, 2021

"IT'S MORE THAN JUST CHANGING A PROGRAM"

Eduardo Farias, Director of Information Systems, reviews the new management system

The new management platform, which will allow for a holistic and more sustainable administration of the already more than 60 proprietary clinics of the OralMED Saúde Group, has begun to be implemented.

The OralMED Management System (SGO), a web-based application, was built on a leading low-code platform: OutSystems. It will allow for automatic collection of all information about the clinics' operations, transforming them into fully digital units.

Eduardo Farias, Director of Information Systems at OralMED Saúde Group, gave us an update on the integration process of this new system and shared his prediction on when the entire complex operation will be completed.

How has the integration of the new management system for OralMED clinics been going?

It has been a very challenging process, but simultaneously very positive. It's more than just changing a program; it's about implementing new procedures and routines in the daily work of the clinical units. We are entering the realm of each team's culture and transforming it to become more digital and sustainable. As with all processes aimed at change, there are always challenges.

However, the new system has been very well received by the teams, which facilitates the implementation of the program as we overcome obstacles in partnership, collaboratively.

How has this collaboration been important in this process?

However, the new system has been very well received by the teams, which facilitates the implementation of the program as we overcome obstacles in partnership, collaboratively.

Has the pandemic brought difficulties to this process?

It brought the necessary safety measures at this stage, which requires greater social distancing. I was no longer able to be present daily and started to monitor the process only remotely. This brought an added difficulty in identifying and perceiving the small doubts and difficulties that teams might feel. Doubts that, although not critical, can be overcome with optimizations to the program, this process being faster when there is face-to-face monitoring by the Information Systems department.

On the other hand, this distance ended up being a test for the program. We now know it's on the right track since the teams that already use it do so without significant difficulties.

Overall, the truth is that we managed to bridge the distance through phone calls, request management platforms, and through messages and meetings via Microsoft Teams.

At what stage is the process currently?

Although we have already started its integration, the SGO system continues to be developed. To continue the process and execute all the optimizations we have planned, we are currently integrating a new programming area in the Information Systems department.

We also had the opportunity to increase the support and implementation team at the beginning of this year, which has allowed us to respond more effectively to questions raised by the clinical teams.

This month we are migrating a new clinic to SGO, and we expect this to significantly accelerate the expansion process to the remaining units.

When is it expected that all group units will have access to this system?

The plan we have outlined foresees that by the end of 2022, all OralMED units will have access to the new program. The growth of the Information Systems department is fundamental to achieving this goal as it allows us to migrate multiple clinical units to SGO in a single month.

About OralMED Saúde Group

The OralMED Saúde Group is the first Portuguese group specialized in Dental Medicine. With over 11 years of experience and a leader in the sector, it already has more than 60 proprietary clinical units, three dedicated laboratories, and an integrated contact center, the first specialized in Health in Portugal.