Efficiency. It’s a word we’re all familiar with in the business world. It can mean different things to different people but the connotations are always positive. To some, efficiency can yield greater profits, and to others it enables them to provide better customer service. Efficiency often goes hand in hand with organization, thus an efficient business is usually an organized business. But one thing all businesses have in common is the goal of efficiency. This is why many organizations are taking advantage of software solutions to help achieve this goal.
The need for efficiency and organization is most prevalent in the medical field. Physicians, Hospitals and labs are on a tight schedule and every minute counts. Patient queuing systems give them that extra minute or two of efficiency per patient. Just the clarity of a typed patient name improves the time it takes to serve customers. Having patients sign in at a kiosk also reduces the chatter questions. Now add the efficiency of automatically sorting patients by the reason for their visit.
With all the regulations that govern the health care profession, many doctors’ offices and hospitals can’t afford to approach this need without making it a priority. One of the best software solutions out there for this industry is a patient queuing system. It provides the privacy and speed for both patient and business.
One of the benefits of implementing a queuing system is its ability to provide the staff, whether in a large hospital or a small office, with an accurate time stamp of when a patient has signed in, when that patient has been acknowledged and when they have been checked out. Often times, patients write down a different time than they actually checked in at. Queuing systems record exact dates and times, so they can analyze exactly how long someone has been waiting and who is next.
Another benefit of using a patient queuing system, that goes hand-in-hand with the accurate time stamps, is its ability to provide office managers and hospital staff with accurate reports. Queuing systems like Medical Check In, keep track of patient wait times, which staff member acknowledged the patient, as well as the reason for the patient’s visit and who they are there to see. The beauty of systems like these is they allow a practice to gather information to better evaluate the performance of the staff and determine where customer service can be improved. These reports are actual documentation as opposed to general assumptions.
Patient queuing systems utilize a touch screen kiosk for the patients to interact with while the staff can access the information in a web browser on their computer. This has a few benefits as well. For one, it eliminates non-legible handwriting you often see on clipboard sign-in sheets. Secondly, it makes it easier for patients to sign in. Thirdly, when properly implemented, the tablets or touchscreen devices that the patients interact with, don’t store any data. The data is stored in a secure database, where only authorized personal can see it, keeping these systems HIPPA compliant.
Finally, a discussion about the efficiency of using a patient queuing system wouldn’t be complete without mentioning speed. The goal is to reduce check in times and reduce menial tasks of staff. While some systems will extend the check in time at the kiosk by asking a bunch of questions, the faster systems let the existing EMR or practice management software handle those tasks and reduce the responsibility of the patient. It will not save time to have a person who has no experience enter data needed to process a claim. The larger the business or business software, the less efficient it will be. When choosing a queuing system, look for speed.