New Amazon Alexa Skill Helps Patients Gain Information About OhioHealth Urgent Care

Patients seeking OhioHealth Urgent Care services can now ask Amazon Alexa about wait times and locations before they get in the car. OhioHealth is the first healthcare system in the state to use the voice-powered technology in this manner.

This is done through the new OhioHealth skill on Alexa-enabled devices. A skill is similar to an app. In this case, the user controls it with their voice and asks Alexa for certain information pertaining to OhioHealth Urgent Care. Users can download the skill to their device for free from the Amazon Skills Store.

The OhioHealth skill can be used to do things like:

• find the nearest OhioHealth Urgent Care

• get the current wait time (updated every minute)

• find hours of operation

• receive contact information for a specific OhioHealth Urgent Care location.

“OhioHealth believes in easily accessible, convenient healthcare and this new Alexa skill is part of that,” said Nate Rogers, OhioHealth system vice president, marketing and communications. “For example, someone might know where the nearest OhioHealth Urgent Care is to them but could use Alexa to determine the wait time before they drive there. If they discover it’s a long wait because of other patients being seen, they could ask OhioHealth for a list of urgent care locations to find one with a shorter wait time.”

Once users have enabled the skill, they can ask Alexa a variety of questions like, “Alexa, ask OhioHealth…”

• “for the wait time at Dublin Urgent Care”

• “for the nearest urgent care”

• “for the hours of the Grove City Urgent Care”

• “what urgent cares are open right now”

• “for a list of urgent care locations”

• “for the phone number of the Hilliard Urgent Care”

• “where is the New Albany Urgent Care”

This skill provides information on urgent care wait times in central Ohio, locations and contact information; it does not provide medical advice and is not a substitute for professional advice, treatment or diagnosis.

“For now, this skill will provide another way for patients to obtain information to help them find an OhioHealth Urgent Care or to hear current wait times,” said Salil Verma, OhioHealth system vice president, digital experience and customer engagement. “We realized early that voice plays an increasing role in how our customers want interact with us. This is a first step of many that OhioHealth is working on to provide really great digital experiences in healthcare. We have some really great stuff to look forward to.”

For those who don’t have an Alexa-enabled device, this same information may be obtained by downloading the OhioHealth mobile app.

OhioHealth has eleven urgent care locations in the following communities:

• Athens

• Delaware

• Dublin

• Gahanna/New Albany

• Grandview

• Grove City

• Hilliard

• Mansfield

• Nelsonville

• Polaris

• Reynoldsburg

Other technology for patient convenience

OhioHealth is committed to using research and development dollars to meet consumers – our patients – where they are with technology that makes healthcare as convenient and accessible as possible. While some are still in progress, a number of initiatives have already launched:

• OhioHealth mobile app – the free OhioHealth mobile app is a streamlined way for patients to access OhioHealth doctors, locations and services. On the app, patients can:
  • Quickly find a doctor that fits their needs
  • Effortlessly schedule with new and existing doctors
  • Efficiently find care facilities and see urgent care wait times; patients can even use the app to reserve an Uber ride if needed
  • Access OhioHealth MyChart

• OhioHealth MyChart – whether on a computer or the mobile app, patients can create a free account that allows them to:
  • Easily view test results
  • Quickly message their doctor
  • Conveniently make payments
  • Seamlessly schedule/cancel appointments
  • Request prescription refills

• Find a Doctor – this feature is available both on the mobile app and OhioHealth website. It allows patients to search for a doctor near them by searching for a name, specialty or condition. In addition to office locations and contact information, patients are able to view a photo of the physician, read about their expertise and background and even read reviews on the physician submitted by other patients.