Offline Patient Onboarding for a Leading U.S. Healthcare Provider
About the Client and Requirement
Our customer is a leading U.S. healthcare organization with a web-based patient registration
and management system used to capture critical medical and demographic information at the
point of care.
For security reasons, the teams onboarding patients at customer sites often did not have
internet access. This meant they could not use the core registration system when offline,
creating operational bottlenecks and delaying data entry into the system of record.
The CIO’s team engaged Do Systems Inc. to design a secure, offline-first
solution that would work seamlessly in these constrained environments.
Business Challenge
- Patient onboarding staff frequently operate in connectivity-restricted environments such as customer facilities and off-site locations.
- The existing web-only system required an active internet connection, forcing staff to rely on paper forms or ad-hoc workarounds.
- This led to:
- Duplicate data entry and manual transcription
- Increased risk of data errors and delays
- Operational friction for staff and patients
- Additional overhead to request and provision temporary internet access
The organization needed a secure, offline-capable mobile application that would:
- Support full patient registration workflows without internet
- Synchronize reliably with the central system when connectivity was available
- Maintain data integrity, security, and auditability aligned with healthcare regulations
Our Solution: Offline-First iPad Application
After an initial discovery phase, Do Systems proposed and delivered an
offline iPad application that mirrors the core patient registration
experience and synchronizes with the central system when online.
From Proof of Concept to Full-Scale Solution
- Built a proof of concept (POC) to demonstrate:
- Offline data capture
- Smooth, modern UI optimized for frontline workflows
- Secure local storage of patient information
- Once the POC was validated by the clinical and IT teams, we scaled it into a
production-grade offline iPad application, including:- Robust data synchronization
- Conflict resolution between local and server records
- Hardening for security, performance, and usability at scale
How We Developed It
1. Offline Data Model Using Realm
To ensure consistent data behavior online and offline, we:
- Mirrored the server-side data model in the iPad app using Realm as the local database.
- When offline, all patient registration data is securely stored in Realm on the device.
- When connectivity is restored, the app:
- Synchronizes local records with the central server
- Applies conflict resolution rules to keep data consistent and prevent overwrites
This design ensured data integrity while maintaining a seamless user experience for staff.
2. Workflow-Centric UI for 200+ Fields
The registration workflow required 200+ input fields across multiple sections.
To keep it usable for frontline teams, we:
- Carefully distributed fields across multiple tabs to maintain a logical, intuitive flow.
- Introduced advanced controls to minimize clicks and cognitive load:
- Auto-tabbing between fields
- Switch controls and button groups for common options
- Context-aware UI that surfaces only relevant fields at each step
The result was a streamlined, guided onboarding experience designed specifically for staff working under time pressure.
Results
- 60% reduction in data entry time
Optimized UI and offline capability significantly reduced time spent capturing patient information. - Less friction for frontline staff and patients
User-friendly design, auto-tabbing, and thoughtfully grouped controls made onboarding faster and more consistent. - Improved data accuracy
Eliminated double entry from paper to system, reducing transcription errors and rework. - Onboarding without internet dependencies
Patient onboarding teams can now operate directly at customer sites without waiting for internet access approvals, and have full confidence that data will sync later. - Simplified logistics and stronger data security
No more ad-hoc tools or insecure workarounds. Data is captured in a controlled, secure application, synchronized with the central system under IT governance.
Ready to Enable Offline Workflows in Healthcare?
Do Systems Inc. helps healthcare organizations modernize patient-facing and clinician-facing workflows with
secure, offline-first mobile and web solutions that respect real-world connectivity constraints.
If you’re a healthcare CIO or IT leader looking to:
- Extend your EHR or patient registration capabilities into offline environments
- Reduce manual workarounds and data errors
- Improve productivity and experience for your field or frontline teams
Let’s talk.
Schedule a meeting with us to explore how we can help design and build your next offline-capable healthcare solution.
