It was exciting, fast, and, surprisingly, painless. Let me tell you take you back to last week.
I got out of my car, walked a few hundred feet, and entered through the glass double doors. Behind the shelves of candy and healthcare products, what do I see? A MinuteClinic. No one was there to greet me, except for a self-service kiosk. The first thing I noticed was the estimated wait time displayed on the screen: 40 minutes, and only one person in front of me. OK, fine. I can live with that.
I started to complete a few screens worth of electronic forms, by myself. Remember, no one even instructed me to do this – it was obvious this what I needed to do. Once I provided my name, address, date of birth, medical history, and whether or not I had insurance, I was done. All I had to do now was wait. So I waited. 15 minutes later (nice surprise!) the nurse practitioner called me in. She confirmed my identity and medical history (she automatically received copies on her computer once I hit submit) and proceeded to give me a shot. Two minutes later, she printed out a confirmation slip that indicated the services that were provided. And, I was off.
I suppose I shouldn’t have been in awe with what the MinuteClinic did – it was relatively simple. But, the truth is that I was. We’re in 2015 and this was my first experience, as a patient, where I was immersed in technology from the start. Sure, my doctors use software to jot down my vital signs. Sure, they have portals where I can access my medical history and receive messages. But, I refuse to use these portals because there are too many of them, too many steps to log in and retrieve information, and, for the most part, a downright drag to use. It shouldn’t have to be this way. The MinuteClinic realized that and got it right. There really wasn’t too much more I could have asked for. Their system asked me the right questions. It asked the right number of questions. The flow of questions made sense. And, the system guided me without creating confusion.
Hospitals, medical offices, pharmaceutical companies, clinical research organizations – anyone providing services to patients – take note: You have the ability to streamline operations, lower costs, eliminate errors, and provide a better patient experience through good systems. Just spend a few minutes at your local CVS MinuteClinic and you’ll see what I mean!
