Technology has made it possible to speed up changes in healthcare because of the current public health crisis. This offers patient’s convenient and safe ways to stay connected to their healthcare providers. In addition to telehealth visits, virtual waiting rooms have been developed to allow patients to socially distance themselves through the check-in process before they attend an online or in-person visit.
How Virtual Waiting Rooms Work
A virtual waiting room solution is a service that lets patients check-in using their mobile phones. It notifies them through a direct text message when it’s their turn to see a doctor. With this solution, patients can also complete necessary paperwork digitally as well as get instructions and safety protocols for in-person visits.
Because a virtual waiting groom can be deployed in any type of medical setting, patients can check-in for their appointment or a visit to the emergency room while staying in their car until their doctor is ready to see them. By minimizing the amount of time spent around others inside the office, the technology helps reduce the chances of COVID-19 infection.
Importance of a Virtual Waiting Room
By investing in waiting system software, medical facilities can gain the following benefits:
- Improve COVID-19 infection control. By using a virtual waiting room, patients can bypass in-person registration, which minimizes contact with staff and other patients. Also, this allows medical practices to collect the information they need and provide any support their patients need while filling out forms without coming into close contact.
- Provide a patient-friendly experience. Virtual waiting rooms let patients who are waiting to see a doctor stay in their car where they can control the noise and temperature. They can do whatever they want with the time they have while waiting. With a virtual queue, they can stay updated on how much longer they need to wait.
- Save precious resources. Remote check-ins let a medical practice establish automated workflows from appointment reminders to patient check-in. As a result, staff members will have enough time to concentrate on the tasks in front of them. Customizable templates are available to create text messages and pull relevant patient data like the appointment date and time. Also, medical practices can develop ways for their patients to get extra support. However, automation itself can significantly speed up the registration process while collecting and syncing patient information into their medical record digitally.
