Those who have a doctor's appointment or are having outpatient testing such as bloodwork or an X-ray at a Butler Health System location will be required to check in using a new registration system.

While the initial information required of patients may seem cumbersome, Samantha Hagan, a BHS project manager, said the new system will save time for patients and make registration more efficient and accurate.

Patients must answer a lengthy list of questions upon their first experience with the new system to ensure the information in the health system's medical records is correct.

Those who have an email address or cell phone number listed with the health system will receive a message containing a link they can use to check in on their smart phone or computer before their appointment.

Patients who arrive for testing or a doctor's appointment without having checked in ahead of time will be asked to review their information via a series of questions on an electronic tablet.

Senior citizens or those not proficient with electronics will be assisted in answering the questions by a BHS employee at the office or lab they are visiting, Hagan said.

While patients will not be asked to answer the questions each time they use the health system, Hagan said they will be required to review their information electronically to ensure it is still correct.

Hagan said a survey is included at the end of the initial registration that enables patients to share their thoughts on the system.

She said that information can be used to tweak the registration questions and make it easier for patients.

The initial registration has already been whittled down from taking 15 minutes to an average of eight minutes, Hagan said.

“When we saw that, we were like, 'Whoa, 15 minutes is way too long,'” she said. “The whole point of this is to make it easier and save time for the patients. We certainly don't want it to be difficult.”

The health system took into consideration patients who are very sick or undergoing cancer treatment when rolling out the new registration system.

“If you're going for cancer treatment, the last thing we want to do is hand you an iPad,” Hagan said.

Patients using the system for the first time will notice that they need to approve a few consent pages that are built into the system.

Hagan said some may require approval to disclose certain health information, but no specific identifiers are used.

She said one reason for the disclosure may be that the health system is looking for education materials for a certain patient demographic, and general information on that demographic may need to be shared with the company providing the materials.

“The Butler Health System has never sold information and does not sell patient information,” Hagan said.

Another component of the new system will provide those who have checked in online before their appointment with a QR code.

The patient scans the code at a kiosk, which are placed at the busier BHS locations.

Scanning the QR code finishes the check-in process, and the patient can then see the doctor or have their testing done, Hagan said.

Those without smart phones or electronic experience will be assisted without using the QR code, she said.

Hagan said the more patients use the new registration system, the more it will benefit users and the health system.

“Please be patient with us,” Hagan said. “We definitely appreciate the feedback because we want to make this easy and efficient for everyone.”