Healthcare: Technology at Check-In to Improve the Patient Experience and Reduce Human Error

Administrators in hospitals and healthcare facilities are continuously looking for ways to reduce human error and alleviate the burden on staff incurred by paperwork and data input. At the same time, they are also actively seeking to improve the patient experience. This latter objective isn’t necessarily driven by altruism: this study by Accenture indicates that hospitals that rate highly in terms of patient experience also tend to fare better financially. With the significant dollars at stake, healthcare providers are turning to technology to:

• boost customer satisfaction
• streamline administrative tasks
• improve the accuracy of critical personal data

Self-service kiosks to the rescue

There are many factors that determine patient satisfaction. One simple improvement
that all healthcare facilities should consider is the integration of self-service kiosks into registration areas, waiting rooms and other initial customer touchpoints. Relatively small, versatile devices can have an outsized impact in streamlining ubiquitous administrative processes. It’s no secret that technological innovation has transformed many aspects of the medical industry. Still, there remains a largely untapped opportunity to modernize everyday tasks such as check-in, registration, payment, prescription pick-up, data input, and more.

The versatile and compact Interactive Kiosk with ID Tray is a powerful, cost-effective and user-friendly solution. Featuring cutting-edge image-based scanning and a familiar iOS-based touchscreen interface, Aila’s Interactive Kiosk for iPad and iPad Pro is a stand-alone device that can have a dramatic impact in delivering a seamless customer experience by adding powerful scanning capabilities to iOS-based enterprise applications in a sleek, attractive enclosure.

Streamlining data input

Healthcare facilities are integrating more and more technology-enabled tools into their infrastructure and workflow. However, many still rely upon some form of manual data input. This is both slow and inefficient. Worse yet, people make mistakes; in the healthcare world, human error can have serious—and costly—consequences.

Modern tools can enable patients and staff to input data directly by scanning items like driver’s licenses, insurance cards, prescription barcodes, and more. They also can enable users to make selections and fill out forms through the touchscreen interface. The latest image-based scanning tools can accurately recognize and read optical characters such as the name of an insurance provider, as well as group ID and number or the address on a driver’s license for automated form filling. They can also read barcodes, QR codes, and other complex 2d symbologies, in any lighting environment. Further, ID verification and authentication can be paired with biometric technologies, like facial recognition, for a process that is not only fast and efficient, but also exceptionally secure and accurate.

In addition to making it easier for patients to input their own information, by automating the input process through the scanner, Aila’s Interactive Kiosks ensure the accuracy of critical personal and insurance data. This enhances the customer experience and provides significant savings to providers.

Reducing administrative cost, increasing efficiency

At pharmacies and drug stores, Aila’s iOS-based Interactive Kiosk enables patients to bring up a prescription order, verify identity through a driver’s license or government ID, input insurance and loyalty card information, and process payment. Enabling these functions through a self-service kiosk frees up pharmacists to focus on more important functions, such as providing consultations and filling prescriptions.

In hospitals and healthcare clinics, self-service touchpoints in waiting rooms can significantly expedite the check-in process and reduce waiting time, just as they have in airports and banks. Considering the burden of record keeping in the healthcare industry, reducing human error even in small amounts can translate into huge cost savings. And alleviating administrative staff from the responsibility of these simple clerical exchanges allows them more time to focus on other aspects of the customer experience, including offering personalized assistance to those who need it.