SPOTLIGHT: Tablet PCs can be an interim step to a full kiosk deployment

Kiosks may have a bright future as a revenue-collection device in doctor's offices and hospital departments, but it's hard to realize their true value unless they are backed by tightly integrated registration, scheduling, billing and eligibility verification systems. In the interim, tablet PCs could allow providers to test various levels of interactivity with patients before investing thousands of dollars on a wide kiosk deployment. "Tablets allow us to migrate into the additional features and determine how well they're accepted and refine workflow without having to make a larger investment in the kiosk," Brent Snyder, CIO of Adventist Health System in Winter Park, Fla., tells Healthcare Informatics. Article