Digital healthcare check-in has become more acceptable since the start of the COVID pandemic. Hospitals, clinics, and individual practices are turning to digital check-in to streamline one of the most mundane tasks of practicing medicine. But as with any other technology solution, digital check-in is not right for every situation.
If your organization is entertaining the idea of transitioning to digital check-in, do not rush into a decision. Take your time and consider every angle. You might even ask the five questions found below, questions offered by Texas-based CSI Health, a company that designs and manufactures medical kiosks and other telemedicine solutions.
Are we trying to solve a problem?
Embracing technology is about solving problems. So, does your organization have a problem that could be effectively addressed with digital check-in? In nearly every case, the answer will be an emphatic yes. The problem of digital check-in solves inefficiency.
Simply put, having patients interact with a receptionist upon arrival is terribly inefficient. At busy times, old-school check-in can become a burden for both patients and receptionists alike. Eliminating the process by implementing a digital solution makes sense.
Will digital check-in save patients time?
A big plus for patients is that checking in digitally tends to take less time. We’re dealing with a receptionist could take a couple of minutes, and checking in digitally could be accomplished in a fraction of the time. But there is a caveat here: the number of time patients would save with a digital solution depends on the solution itself. Poorly implemented software could lead to digital check-in taking a lot longer than doing it the old way.
How will digital check-in affect the patient experience?
It is a given that digital check-in makes most medical offices more efficient. Staff and patients generally appreciate it. But as always, there are exceptions to the rule. Perhaps the majority of your patients aren’t really all that excited about digital technologies. They would rather have a quick conversation with the receptionist. They would rather that everything about the experience be more personal.
In such a case, digital check-in could negatively impact the patient experience. Your organization might not want to take the risk. If so, that’s fine. You do whatever is best for you and your patients.
Will digital check-in benefit the office staff?
The next question concerns your organization’s office staff. Will they benefit from digital check-in? In all likelihood, they will. But there are no guarantees. If implementing digital check-in only results from in-office staff being given extra responsibilities that continue to harm efficiency, little has been gained. On the other hand, making them more productive by eliminating the mundane task of check-in offers tangible benefits.
What is the organization’s technology budget?
Finally, do not forget to ask about the budget. Your organization might only have so much to spend on telemedicine solutions. Even if you do decide to move forward with digital check-in, purchase decisions need to be made in light of staying on budget.
Honestly, some telemedicine solutions are a lot more expensive than others. You may or may not get what you pay for. Telemedicine is still in its infancy, so the industry is subject to quite a bit of variation from one provider to the next.
Digital check-in is gradually becoming the norm for hospitals, clinics, and individual practices. It is a technology that promises to increase efficiency and streamline the patient experience. While it is not right for every healthcare provider, it works well for those organizations that have determined the benefits outweigh the costs.
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