Streamlining Primary Care Data Collection with Microsoft Power Pages and Power BI
How MedModus replaced Excel-based data collection for 300 allied health clinicans with Power Pages and Power BI, saving €400,000 a year and delivering Ireland’s first network-level primary care benchmarking.
Challenge
The reorganisation of the HSE and the introduction of primary care networks created a new accountability structure — but no means of reporting at network level.
Activity and waiting time data was collected through Excel workbooks completed by hundreds of clinicians across four allied health disciplines. The process was time consuming for clinical staff, error prone, and required managers to spend significant time correcting formulas and reconciling submissions. The effort invested returned very limited reporting value, and circulating spreadsheets containing patient activity data raised information security concerns.
The Head of Primary Care for Dublin Midlands asked MedModus to consider how the process could be improved.
Our Approach
- Replaced Excel data collection with a purpose-built Microsoft Power Pages system, including submission tracking and manager approval workflows.
- Automated the data pipeline using Python scripts for ingestion into SQL Server and automated population of existing Excel reporting templates.
- Built a data model for analysing demand, activity, waiting times and staffing across networks and disciplines.
- Designed self-service Power BI Embedded reports, supported by a responsive analyst service for change requests and new views.
- Delivered a training programme for 300 users across the four allied health disciplines, supporting adoption from day one.
The Solution
MedModus built a secure, easy-to-use Power Pages portal that replaced the Excel workbooks. Clinicians now enter data through structured forms with built-in validation, so submissions are complete and consistent from the start.
All responses flow into Dataverse, giving the HSE one governed, central source of truth instead of files scattered across teams. Power BI dashboards connect directly to this data, giving managers real-time visibility of activity and performance across the entire primary care network for the first time.
Automated reminders via Power Automate keep submissions on track without manual chasing.
Outcomes
Full system set-up and 100% adoption by 300 clinical users in under four months.
Reporting time saved equivalent to 6 WTEs per day, a productivity saving of approximately €400,000 per year.
First-time visibility of primary care network-level benchmark performance in Ireland, against national targets, for individual clinicians and managers.
40+ design change requests completed by a responsive analyst team.
Elimination of Excel submission errors and the manager time previously lost to formula corrections.
Improved access control and data security through a governed platform replacing circulated spreadsheets.