Like most industries, healthcare has changed drastically over the last few years. Patients and their family members coming into hospitals and clinics already carry the stress of the visit and any technology that can help alleviate the anxiety can go a long way.
Receiving high-quality care is table stakes nowadays, but healthcare providers need to go a little further to focus on the patient experience. Here are some examples of payment technology use cases that every healthcare provider should consider:
1. Check-In Kiosks
Part of a patient’s first touchpoint with a hospital or clinic is checking in for their appointment. While the reception counter at a hospital or clinic is well equipped to handle this task, healthcare providers can enhance that experience with self-service solutions. Self-service kiosks allow for seamless check-in options for patients without the need for any assistance. These types of kiosk solutions are common in many other settings including airports, train stations, etc. and have the potential to offer the same level of convenience to patients in a healthcare setting. These solutions are also equipped with secure payment technology to accept all forms of payments if necessary including EMV, contactless and mobile wallets such as Apple Pay.
2. Reception & Pharmacy Counter
The reception counter at a hospital, clinic, or pharmacy is one of the first touchpoints for any patient arriving in a healthcare setting. The healthcare provider needs to be equipped with appropriate technology to serve the patients’ needs at that moment. Whether it is accepting co-pays for their visit, helping them sign forms, checking them in to see the doctor or even accepting payment for prescription medication, providers need technology that helps them serve all of these use cases and improve the overall patient experience.
3. Pay-at-Bedside
Mobility solutions are a big part of today’s payment experience. Industries such as retail, food and beverage and hospitality have successfully implemented mobile POS solutions that provide their customers meaningful experiences. Healthcare providers should also think about implementing these solutions to meet the patients where they are. From reviewing their healthcare information to accepting payments in a frictionless way, mobility solutions can help enhance the patient experience. This allows healthcare providers to improve efficiency as a result of the streamlined checkout process and better engage with the patients or their caregivers to improve the overall quality of care.
4. Pharmacy Vending
People around the globe are no strangers to vending machines. In the U.S., you see them in all sorts of locations – from streets to retail stores to restaurants, gyms, offices and even airports. Depending on the type of vending machines, they could be selling anything from snacks and beverages to phone chargers and other electronic items. Pharmacy vending machines have become more popular over the last few years from offering contraceptives on college campuses to over-the-counter medication to COVID-19 tests at airports. The popularity of vending machines will only increase as more people look to purchase over-the-counter medication without consultation or even seamlessly pick up their prescription meds from self-service solutions. Pharmacies should consider these solutions as an option to better serve their patients. It not only provides them the convenience to buy medication on their terms (even after hours), but it also helps take the friction out of their overall experience.
5. Home Health
From home visits for physical therapy to nursing care for the elderly, home health is a growing market. According to market data by Grand View Research, the global home healthcare market size was valued at $281.8 billion in 2019 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.9% from 2020 to 2027. To support this growth, healthcare providers need to be equipped with mobility solutions to improve the efficiency of accepting payments and improving the overall patient experience. These mobile POS solutions allow healthcare providers to not worry about the payment process and focus on the patient’s care.
6. Pharmacy Delivery
2020 was the year of ‘delivery’ where people got everything from food to groceries, and even alcohol, delivered to their doorsteps. As the delivery trend continues to be an integral part of how everyone interacts with organizations selling merchandise, pharmacies need to consider this as another critical touchpoint with their patients. For pharmacies, this may involve building an eCommerce and fulfillment infrastructure to support these orders and even think about mobility solutions to accept card-present transactions at the point of service.
The Future of Healthcare is Providing More Options
The primary focus of healthcare providers will always be providing the highest quality of care to their patients. By taking the friction out of the payment process, providers can help alleviate the stress and anxiety patients and their family members carry with them. Whether it is helping them check-in for their appointment via a mobility solution or conveniently accepting payments in their homes after their physical therapy session, healthcare payment solutions can go a long way in enhancing the patient experience.
If you want to learn more about our healthcare offering feel free to download our datasheet for healthcare solutions. If you are looking to implement any of these use cases in your hospital, clinic, or pharmacy and need guidance, get in touch with us.
Brandon Zauche is an Account Executive at Ingenico, a Worldline brand
