From online scheduling and digital intake forms to AI-powered diagnostics, the potential for saving time and money is undeniable. But while technology can streamline many of your day-to-day processes, it should never disrupt the core value that patients expect from your practice: an exceptional patient experience built on trust, care, and communication.

Disrupting The Patient Experience

Tablets and kiosks have become common in waiting rooms, promising faster check-ins and reduced paperwork. But when patients are met with a screen instead of a warm greeting, the experience can feel cold and impersonal. For elderly patients or those less comfortable with technology, these tools can create frustration rather than convenience.

The lesson isn’t to avoid tablets or kiosks altogether, but to use them thoughtfully. A kiosk can streamline forms, but it should never replace a friendly staff member who welcomes patients, answers questions, or assists them when technology becomes overwhelming. The balance comes from integrating tools without sacrificing the personal touch that makes patients feel valued and cared for.

Best Practices For Implementing New Technology

Introducing new technology isn’t just about adding AI or streamlining workflows—it’s about how those changes shape the patient experience. To make sure technology strengthens care instead of disrupting it, practices must measure the impact to the patient experience when implementing new technologies.

Measuring the impact of new technology is the clearest way to understanding how it is shaping the patient experience. Getting real-time patient feedback not only helps you roll out the new technology, but it’s the main driver to determining if the purchase you made for your practice was the right fit.

Many practices using kiosks and tablets forget to explain the benefits of their new check-in experience for the patient. The amount of time saved by the patient when they return to your practice, a reduced wait time, and other patient benefits are often overlooked as the technology benefits are often viewed through the lens of “how they help the practice” vs. “how they help the patient.” Communicating in advance of the appointment that you now have a new kiosk or tablet check-in experience is the first step in ensuring your patient experience remains unaffected.

Pro Tip: Use a test and learn approach whenever possible. Try rolling out new technology with a select group of patients first. Their feedback will highlight what works and what needs adjustment before implementing practice wide. After implementing practice wide, leverage patient feedback consistently to optimize performance on an ongoing basis.

Conclusion

Digital and emerging technologies will continue to reshape medical practices, but they must never disrupt the core value that patients expect from your practice: an exceptional patient experience built on trust, care, and communication. When technology is guided by real patient feedback, adjusted with responsiveness, and scaled thoughtfully across the practice, it strengthens the human touch instead of replacing it.