PATS is a subsidy scheme from SA Health, designed to alleviate the financial strains of travel for medical services. The premise is simple: if you need to travel for medical reasons, you can recoup costs of transport and accommodation. But the scheme’s info was tucked away in a musty wing of the SA Health website. Uptake was tempered by a lack of clear pathways to determine eligibility and find providers. Users were working up a sweat to find what they needed.

Addressing barriers to the average user was a priority as we transformed a bone dry webpage into a user-focused standalone website. Introducing a simple eligibility-checker and an interactive service directory allows the user to quickly find relevance in the scheme.

Barry’s story shows us the human element of the scheme’s outcomes: relief and support. Importantly, messaging is centred around the patient, while resources for medical professionals and providers are easy to find elsewhere.

The online experience aims to keep PATS from the too-hard basket by removing ambiguities and encouraging applications.

check out the site here - pats.sa.gov.au