The Steep Cost of Inefficient Healthcare Wayfinding

The Steep Cost of Inefficient Healthcare Wayfinding

How many employees and patients does the average large-scale healthcare facility see daily? Typically, thousands. While the majority of seasoned employees at large-scale healthcare facilities are familiar with their immediate surroundings, traveling nurses, junior staff members, and new and returning patients may have little idea of how to efficiently navigate these facilities.

At Oppna Digital, we understand large-scale hospitals have a number of difficulties when it comes to navigation. And while static signage may have been the only option in years past, today, there are far more efficient (and effective!) navigational solutions.

Interactive digital wayfinding technology and systems are transforming the way employees, patients, and visitors navigate through healthcare facilities. Below, we discuss the steep costs of outdated healthcare wayfinding methods and how interactive digital technologies can help large-scale facilities boost their bottom lines.

No-Shows Cost Hospitals Billions Every Year

How long does the typical patient appointment last these days? 30 minutes? Maybe 45? And what happens if a patient cannot find their way through a multi-building, multi-floor healthcare complex? Ultimately, that patient ends up sorely late to their appointment or misses it altogether.

According to recent data, no-shows cost healthcare facilities upwards of $150 billion each year. Those losses can be significantly reduced with interactive digital wayfinding systems.

With these systems in place, patients and visitors can not only access the most efficient routes through any complex easily, but they can also:

●        Schedule follow-up visits with their providers

●        Set appointment reminders for future visits

●        Review physician recommendations and aftercare instructions

●        Verify prescriptions and other personal data

Interactive wayfinding solves the large-scale navigational conundrum while also allowing patients more autonomy in their healthcare decisions. When patients set their own appointments and reminders and can navigate through a facility easily, they’re more likely to show up to their appointments. And not only will they show up, but they’ll show up on time

While the cost to implement these systems might present a significant initial investment, ultimately, healthcare facilities stand to recover a substantial amount of money by implementing interactive systems.

Time and Resource Waste: Another Revenue Reducer

How much time do hospital employees waste directing patients and visitors through large-scale healthcare facilities? One study puts the figure at nearly 4,500 hours per year. That’s essentially two full-time positions worth of navigational assistance only

Now, imagine how much those two full-time positions are worth in terms of salary — $80,000 a year? Maybe $90,000? Perhaps more? Over the course of a five- or 10-year period, the costs definitely add up.

Efficient navigation through healthcare facilities is inarguably important. New patients have no clue how to navigate a large-scale facility, and returning patients (especially those in the elderly demographic) can’t realistically be expected to recall the most efficient route to their intended destinations.

Interactive digital signage software and wayfinding signage systems help solve this glaring issue easily. They provide turn-by-turn directions throughout any facility, allowing staff members to tend to their more pressing duties rather than waste valuable time playing navigational concierge.

Traveling nurses, junior staff members, and of course, patients, can all find their way efficiently through a facility without interrupting daily operations to ask for directions. Annually, digital hospital wayfinding systems stand to save large-scale healthcare facilities at least six figures per year, perhaps much more depending on the size of the operation.

Need to Improve Your Hospital Wayfinding? Contact Oppna Digital

If you’re looking to boost revenue in your large-scale healthcare facility, get in touch with our team at Oppna Digital to discuss interactive hospital wayfinding solutions. As a full-service digital solutions provider, we specialize in wayfinding software development, hardware procurement, app development, content management, and much more.

To get started, feel free to request a demo or give us a call at 651-237-5677. You can also send us a message with any questions, and we’ll be in touch promptly.

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