Dr.JOY Launches Online Management Function for Outpatient Doctor Schedules

Dr.JOY Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director & CEO: Hiroaki Ishimatsu, M.D.; hereinafter referred to as "the Company") began offering "Outpatient Doctor Schedule," a new feature for its medical institution platform "Dr.JOY," used by over 3,700 facilities nationwide, in March 2026.

This function resolves the challenges of Excel-based management and manual updates of outpatient doctor schedules, which are common issues in many hospitals, by enabling centralized online management of information regarding clinic closures and substitute doctors. Updated information is immediately reflected on the hospital's website and in-hospital digital signage.

Furthermore, by linking with the Company's SMS mass notification function and AI phone system, it is possible to automate patient notifications and inquiry handling during sudden clinic closures or substitute doctor situations, significantly reducing the workload for outpatient clerks and medical affairs staff.

Background of Development

According to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's "2024 Medical Institutions (Dynamic) Survey and Hospital Report" (published December 2024), the average number of outpatient visits per day in hospitals nationwide is approximately 1.21 million. Outpatient care is a pillar of hospital management, and accurately and promptly delivering daily changes in assigned doctors, clinic closures, and substitute doctor information to patients is a crucial task directly linked to patient satisfaction and the quality of medical care.

On the other hand, with the promotion of work style reforms for doctors (upper limits on overtime work) enforced in April 2024, and the review of work shifts and promotion of paid leave, the frequency of changes to outpatient doctors has increased more than ever. Despite this situation, many hospitals still rely on analog operations for managing, updating, and publishing outpatient doctor schedules, and the time lag in information transmission causes various problems.

(1) Analog Management Flow

Outpatient doctor schedules are created in Excel or PDF, and update work is dependent on specific administrative staff. Even with sudden changes, it takes time to reflect them on the website or in-hospital notices, and outdated information continues to be publicly displayed.

(2) Patients Do Not Receive Correct Information

Cases occur where patients only learn of clinic closures or substitute doctors after arriving at the hospital, leading to complaints. There are also situations where outpatient doctor schedules are only available as PDFs and not updated, forcing patients to call for confirmation.

(3) Increased Burden on Administrative Staff

Inquiry calls such as "Is Dr. XX here today?" concentrate on outpatient clerks and medical affairs departments. In the event of a sudden clinic closure, staff must call each patient with an appointment individually, leading to significant time and mental burden.

Overview of "Outpatient Doctor Schedule"

The "Outpatient Doctor Schedule" is a cloud-based function that centralizes outpatient doctor information on Dr.JOY and allows real-time updates for clinic closures and substitute doctors. Since updated information is simultaneously reflected on hospital websites and in-hospital digital signage, it significantly reduces duplicate data entry and requests to website production companies for updates.

Furthermore, by linking with the Company's SMS mass notification function and AI phone system, it seamlessly connects not only "managing" information but also "delivering it to patients." This service provides one-stop management from outpatient information management to patient communication.

Three Features of "Outpatient Doctor Schedule"

(1) Easy 3-Step Operation Start

STEP 1: Bulk register doctor names, departments, and work classifications via CSV. STEP 2: Create outpatient schedules by day of the week, time slot, and department. STEP 3: When a clinic closure or substitute doctor is scheduled, update the relevant section precisely. This simple design completes the operation in these three steps. Both initial setup and daily update tasks are minimized.

(2) Instant Reflection on Hospital Website (iframe embedding)

By obtaining the URL of the created outpatient doctor schedule and pasting the code into an existing page on the hospital's website, it can be displayed. Changes made on Dr.JOY are immediately updated on the website, eliminating the hassle of duplicate entry. The border and text colors can be adjusted to match the hospital's brand colors, maintaining consistency with the existing site's design.

(3) Instant Notification to Patients of Sudden Clinic Closures/Substitute Doctors via SMS Mass Notification

If a clinic closure or substitute doctor is suddenly decided, a mass SMS (short message) notification can be sent to patients with appointments. A sending list can be easily created via CSV, and information is reliably delivered using SMS with a 99% delivery rate. By limiting calls only to those who have not read the SMS, the time and mental burden on outpatient clerks who previously called each patient individually is significantly reduced.

• Dr.JOY "Outpatient Doctor Schedule" Service Page

• Dr.JOY "SMS Communication for Patients/Families"

Future Developments

The Company plans to sequentially expand the following functions, starting with this feature:

• Integration with Dr.JOY's Doctor Attendance Management Data
  If there is a doctor registered as not working, an alert will automatically be displayed on the outpatient doctor schedule. This helps prevent missed updates and supports the continuous dissemination of accurate information.

  With the promotion of work style reforms for doctors, the frequency of work changes is increasing, but the integration of attendance management and outpatient doctor schedules allows for smooth handling.

• Automate Inquiry Handling with AI Phone Integration

  For inquiries such as "Is Dr. XX here today?", Dr.JOY's AI phone will automatically respond by referencing the outpatient doctor schedule data. If a clinic closure or substitute doctor is scheduled for a new appointment with a specified doctor, alternative guidance can also be provided automatically. As it operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, with multiple simultaneous lines, it can handle inquiries outside of consultation hours.

• Real-time Display on In-hospital Digital Signage

The outpatient doctor schedule will be displayed in real-time on large displays installed in hospital lobbies and waiting rooms. Content such as treatment introductions, doctor introductions, and announcements can also be posted, making it useful for in-hospital information dissemination and marketing.

Moving forward, the Company will continue to support the promotion of DX in various hospital operations, including outpatient services, with the mission of "The next step for all healthcare professionals."

Dr.JOY Co., Ltd. R&D Department, Product Design Leader 
Yuko Okamoto's Comment

Company Profile

●Company Name: Dr.JOY Co., Ltd.

●Head Office Location: Toranomon Hills Station Tower 17F, 2-6-1 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo

●Established: November 2013

●Business Activities: Software development and operation in the medical field / Provision of medical and pharmaceutical information to medical institutions

●Official Website: https://drjoy.co.jp/