Underestimating the Patient

Patients’ ability to use the Clearwave kiosk application has turned out to be better than we originally expected. Clearwave’s usability target was that 70% of patients would be able to successfully use the kiosk application. To Clearwave’s surprise, that number is actually more than 90%, and due to “Returning User” functionality and patients becoming more comfortable with the system after each visit, the success rate continues to grow.

To add to this success rate in the future, insurance companies are introducing into the market track 3 magnetic stripe cards that contain the necessary information to create an eligibility check. These cards are compatible with Clearwave’s kiosk application.

Because a large percentage of patients can successfully use the Clearwave kiosk, there has been a dramatic improvement in patient flow, as well as huge time savings for the office staff. Offices that had 3 resources checking in patients are now down to 1 resource, allowing 2 resources to be reassigned. The wait time and patient flow issues at the front desk have been totally eliminated, because the office staff now controls the patient flow. The office staff can call up one patient at a time, thus providing the individual attention that all patients want, which ultimately improves the overall patient visit.

One important factor to solving patient flow issues is moving the kiosk away from the front desk. We have found that if the kiosk is too close to the front desk, the patients will rely on the office staff to help. However, if the patients are responsible and don’t have immediate access to help, they can indeed successfully check-in.

The concerns for all doctors’ offices that are looking at installing the Clearwave kiosk application include the following:

• Our patients are not smart enough to use the system.
• Our patients are going to be angry about this process.
• Our staff won’t be able to adapt to this process change.
• If one patient complains, the doctors will be very upset.

Well, the patients are definitely smart enough to use it, as we have seen with our 60,000 check-ins via the kiosk. Yes, some patients get angry, but the majority of patients are happy to simplify their check-in process. The office staff loves the fact that fewer patients are in line at the front desk, and doctors are now more focused on the bottom line; therefore, doctors don’t mind a short term process change for the patient that has a huge long term financial impact.

Everyday each of us experiences more and more self-service devices such as ATMs, pay at the pump gas, airport kiosk check-ins, and self check-out at the grocery store. The first time we used these devices they were intimidating; however, we quickly adapted to them, and now we are expecting to see new and better functionality. The doctors’ offices that install the Clearwave kiosk now ensure their patients and staff will be more accepting of new technology in the future.