When Karibu General Hospital in Nairobi faced mounting patient complaints about wait times and billing errors, the administration knew their fragmented paper-and-spreadsheet system had to go. After deploying HospitalOS, the 120-bed facility transformed its operations within 4 months.
Hospital Profile
- Name: Karibu General Hospital
- Location: Nairobi, Kenya
- Type: Mid-size private hospital
- Beds: 120
- Staff: 210 (including 35 physicians)
- Departments: Emergency, Outpatient, Inpatient, Surgery, Maternity, Laboratory, Pharmacy, Radiology
The Challenge
Karibu General was struggling with interconnected problems that paper systems could not solve:
- Average patient registration time: 18 minutes per patient
- Billing errors: 23% of invoices contained mistakes requiring manual correction
- Insurance claim rejection rate: 31% — costing KSh 4.2 million ($32,000) monthly
- Pharmacy dispensing errors: 4-6 incidents per week flagged by nursing staff
- Lab result turnaround: Results took 45 minutes to reach treating physicians after completion
- No unified patient records — each department maintained its own files
A 2025 patient satisfaction survey returned a score of 58/100, with wait times and billing confusion as the top complaints.
Why They Chose HospitalOS
After evaluating three hospital information systems, Karibu selected HospitalOS for:
- Integrated modules — Registration, billing, pharmacy, lab, and EMR in one system
- M-Pesa integration — Direct mobile money billing for outpatient payments
- NHIF/SHA compliance — Built-in support for Kenya's Social Health Authority insurance claims
- Offline resilience — Critical for maintaining operations during internet outages
- Affordable licensing — One-time fee versus competitors' per-bed monthly pricing
Implementation Timeline
| Phase | Duration | Scope | |-------|----------|-------| | Phase 1 | Weeks 1-2 | Registration, patient records, outpatient billing | | Phase 2 | Weeks 3-4 | Pharmacy, laboratory, radiology orders | | Phase 3 | Weeks 5-6 | Inpatient management, ward tracking, nursing notes | | Phase 4 | Weeks 7-8 | Insurance claims, financial reporting, staff training |
Total training: 4 hours per department, with dedicated super-users receiving 8 hours.
Results After 4 Months
Patient Experience
| Metric | Before | After | Change | |--------|--------|-------|--------| | Registration time | 18 min | 4 min | -78% | | Average outpatient wait | 52 min | 26 min | -50% | | Patient satisfaction score | 58/100 | 82/100 | +41% | | Billing complaints (monthly) | 67 | 11 | -84% |
Financial Performance
| Metric | Before | After | Change | |--------|--------|-------|--------| | Billing error rate | 23% | 3.1% | -87% | | Insurance claim rejection | 31% | 8% | -74% | | Monthly revenue recovery | — | +KSh 3.8M | +$29,000/mo | | Revenue cycle days | 45 days | 18 days | -60% |
Clinical Operations
| Metric | Before | After | Change | |--------|--------|-------|--------| | Lab result delivery | 45 min | 3 min (digital) | -93% | | Pharmacy dispensing errors | 4-6/week | 0-1/week | -85% | | Duplicate lab orders | 8% | <1% | -90% | | Patient record retrieval | 12 min | Instant | -100% |
Administrative Efficiency
- Monthly financial reports: From 5-day manual process to one-click generation
- Insurance submissions: Automated batch submission replaced manual form filling
- Bed management: Real-time occupancy dashboard replaced whiteboard tracking
Medical Director Testimonial
"The insurance claim rejection rate dropping from 31% to 8% alone justified the entire investment. We were losing millions of shillings every month to preventable billing errors. HospitalOS catches coding mistakes before claims are submitted, and our revenue recovery improved immediately."
IT Manager Perspective
"We had two internet outages in our first month on HospitalOS. The system kept running on every workstation — registrations, pharmacy, billing — everything continued without interruption. When connectivity returned, it synced automatically. That alone sets it apart from cloud-only systems we evaluated."
Key Takeaways
- Integrated systems eliminate silos — A unified patient record across all departments reduced duplicate tests by 90% and eliminated the "lost file" problem
- Automated insurance claims save real money — The 74% reduction in claim rejections recovered KSh 3.8 million monthly
- Digital lab results improve patient safety — Physicians receive results in minutes instead of relying on printed reports that could be misplaced
- Offline capability is essential in East Africa — The system maintained full operations during multiple connectivity outages
What's Next for Karibu General
The hospital is planning to activate the telemedicine module in Q2 2026 and is exploring integration with Kenya's national health information exchange. They have also recommended HospitalOS to two partner clinics in Mombasa.
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