My patients have busy parents. That’s why I’m a pediatrician. I care for children ranging in age from newborn babies to teenagers ready to graduate from high school. Nearly all of them have one thing in common: their families’ schedules are filled to the brim.
All parents and caregivers want what is best for their kids. But too often, hectic lives can make it hard to schedule an appointment with a provider. If a child wakes up sick at night, parents may have to take extra time off work just because they don’t know when their doctor can see them. To help juggle these challenges, parents need a level of flexibility to help manage their family’s care.
Fortunately, Holston Medical Group (HMG) is making it easier for busy people to access care. Through HMG’s different technology tools, you have the digital option to:
- Book, change, or cancel appointments
- Do pre-visit paperwork at home
- Check in at appointments faster
- Chat with providers between visits
While we encourage you to try out these new tools, our team members are still there to lend a hand.
HMG is committed to making it easy to access the care you need. Just like other aspects of your life that have been simplified to improve your experience, like self-service grocery check-out or ordering food through an app, our investment in technology adds new conveniences right at your fingertips.
Schedule Appointments on Your Convenience
For many patients, the best time to schedule a provider appointment might not be during business hours when the practice is open. For parents, it might be after the kids are in bed at night. With HMG’s online scheduling system, that’s OK!
It doesn’t matter if you’re new to HMG or have been seeing us for years. You can visit our Online Appointment Scheduling page anytime, search for an office or provider, and book a visit at your convenience. If something comes up, you can even cancel and reschedule online. It’s that easy!
Save Time During Check-In
After creating an appointment, you can use our Express Check In tool to complete the paperwork beforehand. You can securely register, complete new forms, or update your information all from the comfort of your home using your desktop or mobile device.
Another option is to check in at a kiosk once you arrive for your visit. After you input your information the first time, the system speeds up check-in by remembering it for the next time, only asking you to review and confirm it.
The great news is that our team members will still be available to answer questions or discuss your concerns. However, by lightening their load on the paperwork side, these tools give our team members more time to focus on patient interaction, both in person and on the phone, helping patients with other issues.
You will be provided access to a robust patient portal which will allow you to:
Send Messages and Get Updates
One of my favorite tools is the patient portal, FollowMyHealth. People can use it to securely message me and my care team to ask non-critical questions. In addition to letting me know about ongoing issues, they can also request prescription refills or see their health and immunization records 24/7.
I love how easily patients can reach me to talk about routine issues. If a parent has a non-urgent concern, they can send me a message and I can respond. It helps me head off problems at the pass. When we talk through the portal, I can be one step ahead when I see them in the office.
The patient portal is just one extra tool patients can use when they don’t need help right away.
The best option for quick medical attention, that doesn’t necessarily require a trip to an emergency room, is to still call your provider or HMG’s urgent care services.
Use Tech Tools as You Need Them
As providers, we want to spend time talking one-on-one with our patients. These added tools give us more time to do that!
But you can still talk with your favorite team member, too. We are here every step of the way to make it as simple as possible for you to get the best care.
Everybody is so busy, but new tools available at many HMG offices make it easier for you to take care of your health. Visit our Online Appointment Scheduling, Express Check-In, and FollowMyHealth resources to get started, or contact your providers to learn more about the tools available in their offices.
