No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeCajaPublic hospitals to offer online appointment scheduling in August

Public hospitals to offer online appointment scheduling in August

Good news for users of Costa Rica’s public health care system: Starting in August, the Social Security System, or Caja, will have a new link on their website (www.ccss.sa.cr) for patients to schedule appointments online.

In a first stage of the project, the digital service will allow patients to make appointments at 40 of the Caja’s 103 hospitals and community clinics, or EBAIS, throughout the country. The remaining hospitals and clinics will be brought online shortly after, according to José Manuel Zamora, a coordinator of the Caja’s Digital Medical Records project.

“We don’t yet have an exact date for the system’s launch, but we hope it will take place during the first two weeks of August,” Zamora said.

The system was scheduled to begin operating in mid-June, but it was delayed “for technical reasons” and to plan a publicity campaign, he said.

Health officials say the new online system will help reduce the notoriously long lines at Caja hospitals and clinics. Often hundreds of patients must stand in line for hours outside hospitals and EBAIS clinics waiting for an appointment. Some even spend the night on sidewalks and return home with no scheduled date.

“Among its main advantages the new system will offer the option to schedule an appointment from home or work, at any time of the day, and to check the availability of times and schedules of each day,” Zamora said.

The project adds to other Caja efforts to erradicate long lines at public health facilities, the most recent being an automated phone service that began operating last October. Patients can call a toll-free number: 905-MISALUD or 905-6472583 (English-language assistance available).

That system is available at 159 of the Caja’s 1,103 EBAIS clinics for 645,000 patients across the country, representing 15 percent of Caja insurance holders.

“Once we are able to extend the system to other hospitals and EBAIS clinics, we expect some two million Caja members throughout the country to use these automated services,” Zamora said.

That number includes 180,436 foreign residents who currently have health care coverage with the Caja, according to the “Third Report on Migration and Human Development,” released last April.

Trending Now

Costa Rica and U.S. Strengthen Border Scans and Biometric Cooperation

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem met Wednesday with Honduran President Xiomara Castro to discuss security and migration, following her offer in Costa...

Hondurans March to Mark 2009 Coup as Election Battle Heats Up

Thousands of government supporters marched Saturday in the capital of Honduras to commemorate the anniversary of the 2009 coup that ousted then-leftist President Manuel...

Why Costa Rica Feels Like a Safe Haven for This Longtime Expat

If someone asked me to sum up why I live in Costa Rica in 5 words or less, my answer could well be: “It...

Costa Rica Hunts for Nicaraguan Hit Squad After Exile’s Assassination

Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) is investigating whether a hit squad tied to Nicaragua’s Ortega-Murillo regime is targeting exiled critics on its soil....

Costa Rica Maintains Economic Stability Amid Global Tensions

Costa Rica is holding steady economically despite global tensions sparked by conflicts involving Israel, the United States, and Iran, according to Federico Quesada Chaves,...

El Salvador Slams Paris Fashion Show Inspired by Cecot Mega-Prison Inmates

The president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, joked on Saturday that he could send inmates from his mega-prison to France, after they were represented...
L. Arias
L. Arias
Reporter | The Tico Times |
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica