September 14, 2007 - Parkland Memorial Hospital’s Emergency Services Department is the first in Texas to launch a new self-service check in for ER patients.
Called MediKiosks, the stations were recently added to the triage area in an effort to decrease wait times, improve patient safety and enhance efficiency.
Three self-service check-in stations are available to patients in both English and Spanish. Using a computer touch screen, patients enter registration information and use a body diagram and brief definitions to describe the nature of the visit. The information is then sent to a main computer system where a nurse will be in constant view of the patients’ information. Emergency technicians and paramedics are available to patients should they have any questions or emergent medical needs.
“My hope with this system is that we can provide a more comfortable check-in process,” said Jennifer Sharpe, director of emergency services. “It also allows us to better manage patients who are waiting by selecting patients based on medical criteria and not waiting time.”
The Parkland Emergency Room handles more than 146,000 visits annually. Recently, Parkland obtained a grant through the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center for the implementation of the Medikiosks, developed by Galvanon, a health care technology company based in Maitland, Fla.
More than 100 hospitals and physician practices now use the Galvanon kiosks. The company says its product automates time-consuming manual processes, from checking in patients and collecting co-payments, to capturing consent signatures and gathering medical history information. The result is reduced costs, and improved efficiency.
For more information: www.galvanon.com