The Post COVID-19 Medical Appointment Experience: The Virtual Waiting Room

Digital Conversations

The COVID-19 pandemic created an unprecedented surge of demand on emergency rooms around the world. Technology is playing a vital role in helping providers meet patient demand, while also complying with social distancing guidelines. Millions of non-COVID-19 patients still need to see their doctors, but will need to do so in different ways.

Conversational chatbots that rose to the occasion during the early phases of the pandemic are now taking on additional functions, serving as digital assistants that help patients navigate their care. Like the challenges retailers are facing, the experience of visiting a doctor must change and chatbots have the potential to reinvent the entire process so it’s safe and efficient for everyone.

In this episode, Greg Kefer and Greg Johnsen discuss the concept of virtual waiting rooms, where digital assistants help check patients in for telehealth and in-person appointments through mobile devices. Paper forms become digitized, patients are kept informed and providers can deliver a fast lane, direct-to -exam room experience for visits to clinics and offices. The concept of a waiting room filled with chairs and magazines may end up being a thing of the past, even after COVID-19 subsides.