Waiting-room service lets patients pass the time elsewhere

Patients the world over who are sick of long wait times at doctor’s offices and emergency rooms are increasingly getting respite through services such as InQuickER and Queue Watch. Lending further proof that the concept is a good one, Quebec-based TechnowaiT has now come up with something similar. TechnowaiT’s 1-2-3-Go! service is designed to allow patients to leave the waiting room and go somewhere else to pass the time until it’s their turn to be seen. Patients begin by registering at the doctor’s office and taking a number. They can then go anywhere they’re reachable by phone; by calling in regularly to an interactive system, they can find out via an automated message how many people are still ahead of them, and how much waiting time still remains. As their turn approaches, they can then return to the clinic in a just-in-time fashion. Eventually, TechnowaiT aims to add phone alerts so that patients can get notified half an hour before it’s their turn, according to a report on Montreal’s CTV. Currently free, the service will ultimately be priced at CAD 3. After a pilot project in Laval, Que., TechnowaiT now aims to implement the technology in myriad hospitals and walk-in clinics. Spotted by: CTV Montreal via RP