Time for Healthcare Providers to Act Like La Guardia Airport

IMG_0749You see the photo to the left? That’s a shot of a restaurant in Terminal D at La Guardia airport. In fact, the entire terminal looks like that, with iPads at every seat in every restaurant as well as most of the tables in the waiting area. So this morning, I sat down for breakfast, browsed through the electronic menu, placed my order electronically, swiped my credit card, and waited for my baked eggs and coffee. No fuss. No muss.

Now, let’s imagine what it would be like if our doctors’ offices (and other healthcare facilities) were as technologically savvy.

A week before my annual physical, I get an alert from the app on my phone letting me know that an order for blood work has been sent to the lab, with a link to its web site. While I’m on the doctor’s office app, I update my personal information, including insurance (and email a scanned copy of my latest insurance card), make a couple of changes to my list of medications, and type in the reason for the visit and any concerns.

Before … Continue Reading

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healthcare technology