Digital Front Door: Transforming patient journey through innovation

Author: Amit Bahl, Director, Country Digital Acceleration, APJC

Driving improved patient access and operational outcomes through a unified, secure platform that enhances patient experience, optimizes infrastructure, and addresses security challenges

Think back to the last time you tried to book a medical appointment. It probably involved a phone call, music playing as you wait on hold to talk to reception. For patients, it’s frustrating. For healthcare teams, with stretched resources and time, this situation is unsustainable.

This is the problem the Digital Front Door solves, and it’s a problem that touches every patient managing medical appointment.

Cisco, through the Country Digital Acceleration (CDA) program, with partners ArchiTech with their deep healthcare expertise, is transforming how people access care.

This is achieved through a digital front door solutions reimagining patient interaction and touchpoints. Through smarter booking, digital pre-admission forms and automated follow-ups clinical teams, time spent on administrative work is reduced, enabling them to focus on clinical care and provide patients with a smoother, and faster patient experience.

New Pathways to Patient Access

Many healthcare providers still rely on outdated workflows dependent on phone calls and paper forms, creating bottlenecks and delays that impact patient experience and care quality. The Digital Front Door addresses these issues by fostering a more accessible, responsive, and human-centered healthcare environment. It enables patients to navigate their healthcare journey with ease, reducing wait times and administrative burdens.

The Digital Front Door platform is a joint collaboration between Cisco Systems and ArchiTech. The solution leverages automation and agentic AI, including the Webex AI Agent, to transform patient engagement. Features such as instant AI-assisted booking, secure digital pre-admission forms, and automated post-surgery follow-ups replace manual tasks, streamlining operations and providing patients with a seamless, convenient experience regardless of location.

Patient-centric Care

Technology works best when it seamlessly supports the caregiver-patient connection. The Digital Front Door platform focuses on three core pillars:

Elevating the patient experience: The Digital Front Door uses digital channels to provide timely support throughout the pre- and post-admission journey, moving from reactive to proactive communication,

Empowering teams: Automating routine appointment bookings and patient queries with the Webex AI Agent enables clinical staff to focus on delivering quality care rather than administrative tasks.

Building a sustainable future: Transitioning from paper-based processes to secure digital channels improves efficiency and reduces healthcare’s environmental footprint.

Impact Beyond Australia

The Digital Front Door solution offers a blueprint for healthcare providers across Australia and beyond, as health services advance their digital transformation objectives. This reliable, scalable, and patient-centered approach enables healthcare providers to modernize workflows, enhance patient engagement, and improve operational efficiency. This initiative exemplifies how targeted digital innovation supports sustainable, high-quality care delivery throughout the region, paving the way for future advancements in healthcare technology.

Looking Forward

Digital solutions play a crucial role in creating better patient experiences and building more resilient healthcare communities, as healthcare systems worldwide embrace digital transformation. Cisco remains committed to partnering with health services to provide digital front doors that improve access, reduce costs, and improve patient experience.