Amazon is set to revolutionize patient check-ins at NYU Langone Health facilities in the New York metro area with the deployment of its Amazon One palm-scanning technology next week. This collaboration, nearly nine months in the making, marks the largest third-party deployment of Amazon One to date, as NYU Langone operates six hospitals and over 320 outpatient facilities. The introduction of this technology aims to expedite sign-ins, alleviate administrative burdens on staff, and reduce errors and wait times.
Amazon One’s Expansion in the Healthcare Sector
Amazon One was initially introduced at Amazon Go cashierless stores in 2020 and has since expanded to all Whole Foods Market locations by 2023. At NYU Langone, patients will now be able to check in for appointments using this innovative technology, which identifies patients through palm scans. The healthcare provider anticipates that this will cut the time patients spend at front desks from two to three minutes to less than a minute. As Andrew Rubin from NYU Langone noted:
“That’s both a positive experience for the patient to be able to actually get in faster, and requires less work on our part having to authenticate who the patient is.”
The service will be available at NYU Langone sites in the New York metro area starting next week and is expected to expand to other locations throughout the year. Notably, Amazon has clarified that it will not store or access any patients’ health data or personal information beyond their palm prints, ensuring privacy concerns are addressed.
While the terms of the deal between Amazon and NYU Langone remain undisclosed, this partnership underscores Amazon’s ambition to explore broader applications for Amazon One within the healthcare sector. With NYU Langone handling over 10 million patient visits each year, this implementation could serve as a model for other healthcare institutions aiming to streamline their administrative processes.
What The Author Thinks
Amazon’s strategic move into the healthcare sector with Amazon One is a smart step in advancing patient experience and operational efficiency. If successful, it has the potential to set a new standard in healthcare check-ins, paving the way for similar initiatives in other sectors. This collaboration with NYU Langone could prove instrumental in addressing longstanding administrative bottlenecks in healthcare while also maintaining patient privacy—a key concern in such initiatives.
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