JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas –
Several Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph health clinics are taking action to enhance patient care by replacing take-a-number ticket check-ins with self-service kiosks that are tentatively scheduled to become operational July 29.
The touch-screen kiosks, produced by health care company Vecna, will be located at the physical therapy, immunizations, laboratory, pediatrics and family health clinics.
The Randolph clinics are the first in the Air Force to receive the kiosks, which have been used by the Department of Veterans Affairs with a 95 percent satisfaction rating, 1st Lt. Rey Ortiz, 359th Medical Group Medical Information Systems Flight commander, said.
"Patients will check in through a series of screens where their information will be forwarded to our staff on a secure Air Force network," Ortiz said. "The previous ticket system didn't differentiate between active-duty patients and family members, so clients will now be placed in appropriate queues to prepare our staff for scheduled and walk-in appointments."
Other benefits include allowing clients to verify their information digitally, improving no-show rates and eventually assisting in third-party collections, Ortiz said.
Each kiosk will be customized according to its assigned clinic's check-in procedures.
"The bottom line is they will make it easier for our patients to navigate our system and streamline how fast they check in," Lt. Col. Stacy Greene, 359th MDG Family Health Flight commander, said. "They are another step in us better using technology that's available and will eventually improve how we deliver health care."
The kiosks will not take away the number of front desk clinicians.
"There will still be a human element to the check-in process," Greene said.
Randolph began planning to obtain the kiosks in 2011.
Other Air Force bases are expected to receive the self-service kiosks at a later time, Ortiz said.