Improving the Patient Experience with Epic’s Easy Check-In

At Mackenzie Health in Ontario, patients spend 13 fewer minutes at registration—an 80% decrease—by checking in where it’s convenient for them.

Mackenzie Health’s patient-centered registration process accommodates higher volumes of patients without longer lines or changes in front desk staffing. Patients can start registering at home with MyChart and finish up at a Welcome self-service kiosk after arriving at the hospital. At the kiosk, patients confidentially verify their information and complete pre-visit tasks all in one place. A registrar is available to answer questions at the front desk.

More than 90% of Mackenzie Health’s patients use the kiosk to register for scheduled visits, helping standardize patient safety measures such as barcoded medication wristband. Patients of all ages find the kiosks “quicker, easier, and more intuitive” than traditional check-in and can “zip right through,” said Sharon MacSween, Mackenzie Health’s director of clinical informatics.

“Patients are interested in their clinic appointment, not registration,” said Dr. Victoria Chan, Mackenzie Health’s physician implementation lead and deputy CMIO. Especially when patients might be anxious about an upcoming visit, “eliminating a line at the hospital is a big deal.”

Mackenzie Health was awarded HIMSS Stage 7 in November, signifying its full implementation of its Epic EHR and digital health solutions to benefit patient experience and care, including patient-centered registration. Epic community members can read more about the initiative in Mackenzie Health’s Success at Seven newsletter.