How Covid-19 Is Helping to Change the Doctors Waiting Room – The Wall Street Journal

In the Customer Experience report, we look at the many ways companies and consumers interact and how companies might make those experiences better for consumers. Previous coverage and new stories running this week can be found here.

Time is running out for waiting rooms.

In the name of efficiency, profits, public health and a better customer experience, healthcare providers around the country are looking at changing every aspect of the waiting-room experience, from the furniture to the fish tank.

Few people have ever wanted to wait for their doctor in uncomfortable chairs staring at a display case of old toys and years-old magazines. But the pandemic has pushed both patients and healthcare providers to a new appreciation of the risk in continuing to corral sick and healthy together in close quarters.

Historically, the waiting room has served several functions. It is where doctors collect all of the necessary information (and then some) from patients via the dreaded clipboard. It is where patients settle their bills, often through a pane of glass or plastic with a receptionist behind it. And, of course, it is a holding pen for patients to wait until the doctor is ready to see them.

The rest is here:

How Covid-19 Is Helping to Change the Doctors Waiting Room - The Wall Street Journal