3 Ways Patient Kiosks Can Help With Medical Labor Shortage

While the world has started operating at near pre-pandemic levels again, the healthcare industry has yet to recover from the global health crisis. Today, medical providers are retiring faster than expected, and this is in part of the workforce’s nearly two-year burnout with their struggle against COVID-19.

If the past couple of years has reminded nations one thing, it’s that the medical field is essential for a functioning society. Well-equipped and capable facilities are not only a place to sustain lives, but it also helps enhance the community’s health and even prevent health crises from spreading.

With this, institutions must stay on top of this demand increase for healthcare workers and address this labor shortage before another global outbreak strikes. This is the case now for many medical providers, as they face a scarcity of front desk staff. Although performing non-medical tasks, they play a big role in patient care, ensuring filing and retrieving of records are accurate and responses to customer inquiries are immediate.

One of the many ways a medical center can prepare for this brewing concern is by integrating effective technology within the facility—a patient kiosk.

Want to learn more about patient kiosks and how they can help manage labor shortages in the medical field? Read on and let this article be your guide on everything you need to know about patient kiosks.

What is a Patient Kiosk?

A patient kiosk is an automated front designed for client-facing tasks, allowing patients to complete all intake processes digitally. Unlike standard procedures, this advancement eliminates manual handling and filling out forms by patients, which not only cuts costs for administrative resources but also ensures organized filing for important medical records and other documents.

Often, a patient kiosk functions as a computerized device, but it can also operate with a live remote receptionist at the other end of the line. With live virtual receptionist patient kiosks, new and returning patients can expect a seamless check-in process during their visits to their medical providers that still comes with a human touch.

3 Ways Live Virtual Receptionist Patient Kiosks Help Aid Medical Labor Shortage

According to estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO), there is a projected shortfall of 15 million health workers, mostly in low- and lower-middle-income countries, by 2030.

With patient check-in kiosks, your organization can offset this labor storage in the medical field. Below are a few critical ways they can help with your operations:

1. It provides more efficiency for your staff

Patient kiosks are not to be confused as a means to replace people with machines. It still needs a live virtual receptionist to function; this is where your staff comes in. While it does not excuse them from mundane and repetitive assignments, having these devices in the facility allows your front desk employees to cover more locations with better efficiency since they can work from anywhere as long as they are connected to the kiosk.

With flexibility in their day-to-day, they can seamlessly work on more common clerical tasks, including data entry and payment processes. This technology can ultimately help reduce wait time across the board, which means serving more patients in the facility.

2. It provides more functionalities

Implementing patient check-in kiosks in healthcare facilities not only promises faster and more accurate patient service but also offers functionalities without the need for additional manpower. This includes scheduling future appointments, checking insurance benefits, and getting educational resources in just a few taps on the screen.

Meanwhile, kiosks managed by a live remote receptionist provide customers the option to ask healthcare inquiries that require answers with a human touch.

3. It enhances the patient experience

About 73% of shoppers in retail say they prefer self-service technologies over interacting with store associates. Convenience, speed, privacy, and control over purchase are among the main factors why customers like it. The same can be said for healthcare centers.

Medical facilities can improve their overall customer experience with patient check-in kiosks, as this type of advancement promotes consistent ordered transactions. It also drives patient engagement as the device can be designed as modern and programmed as interactive, all the while highlighting a human touch feature with the live virtual receptionist.

Manage Labor Resources Better With Patient Kiosks

Now, more than ever, healthcare needs all the staffing it can get to support those who have worked the entirety of the COVID-19 pandemic and to continue to provide quality healthcare for everyone.

A live virtual receptionist patient kiosk is one solution you can look into in anticipation of the labor shortage in the field. However, there are multiple factors you must consider before implementing this machine, such as purpose, process, and performance.

If you’re looking for a customer service company to provide it for your facility, check out WelcomeWare! We integrate a web-based platform that harnesses people, software, and hardware to deliver an all-in-one check-in, reception, and customer service solution for your business.

Contact us to learn more about how we can help optimize your people today!