DENVER — Catholic Health Initiatives, the second largest Catholic health system in the United States, has signed a vendor agreement with NCR Corp. for self-service kiosks. The NCR MediKiosk technology is designed to eliminate the need for staff to re-enter patient demographic and insurance information into hospital information systems, resulting in fewer claim denials and improved cash flow.
"By simplifying and streamlining patient encounters like the check-in process, NCR MediKiosk can help us reduce administrative paperwork and enable us to create more meaningful interactions between patients and staff," said David Peterson, regional chief information officer for the Catholic Health Initiatives. "We hope to see that this faster, easier approach will lead to increased patient satisfaction. We expect it will allow us to decrease the overhead costs associated with patient registration, increase co-payment collection and improve forms management."
NCR MediKiosk offers services in English or Spanish. A patients swipes a credit card, driver's license or enters a name directly on the kiosk, along with an additional identifier, such as a birth date. The kiosk engages the patient to view and confirm appointment information, enter insurance information, electronically sign forms and pay outstanding payments or copayments prior to service.
"CHI's selection of NCR reinforces its commitment to providing exceptional patient care," said Chakri Toleti, vice president of healthcare industry marketing at NCR. "Automating the check-in process can benefit patients through shorter wait-times and reduced paperwork."
NCR MediKiosk is part of a comprehensive suite of products that allows hospitals and clinics to provide patient self-service capabilities such as preregistration via the Web, Online BillPay, eSignature for digital capture of patient signatures and eClipboard, NCR's wireless patient check-in solution.
