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Brooklyn's Kings County Hospital Center to Introduce Self-Service Kiosks in the Emergency Department

Posted on: Thursday, 15 November 2007, 12:00 CST

Kings County Hospital Center, a 627-bed public hospital located in Brooklyn, N.Y., plans to deploy self-service kiosks in its emergency department to streamline the check-in and triage process. The MediKiosk™ software solution, from Galvanon, an NCR Corporation (NYSE:NCR) company, automates patient registration and helps emergency department staff prioritize treatment based on medical urgency.

"Like many emergency departments, we experience extremely high patient volumes every day," said Albert Porco, CIO of Kings County Hospital Center. "By using MediKiosk to expedite the check-in process, we will be able to better manage wait times and decrease stress associated with a visit to the emergency department."

An estimated 48 percent of emergency care departments are at or over capacity, according to the 2007 "Survey of Hospital Leaders" released this July by the American Hospital Association. Galvanon's MediKiosk helps staff better manage patient volume by enabling them to quickly determine which patients are experiencing the most pressing medical needs.

When patients arrive at the Kings County emergency department, they proceed to the registration kiosk as opposed to waiting in line to explain their symptoms. They then identify themselves by entering their name on the touchscreen, along with an additional identifier, such as a birth date. Patients indicate their symptoms by pointing to areas on a body diagram where they feel pain and answering brief questions about the nature of their visit. Once the process is complete, the data is sent to the emergency room's main computer system where a nurse is able to review and monitor patient information. This allows staff to provide patients with timely treatment based on medical need, not wait time.

"Emergency departments by nature are very busy and can be intimidating to patients seeking care," said Raj Toleti, president of Galvanon. "By partnering with Galvanon, Kings County is making great strides toward providing the easiest patient experience possible while maintaining an efficient emergency department."

Galvanon's MediKiosk is part of a comprehensive suite of products that allows hospitals and clinics to provide patient self-service capabilities such as wayfinding, Online BillPay and pre-registration via the Web and eClipboards™, Galvanon's wireless patient check-in solution.

About Galvanon

Galvanon, an NCR company based in Maitland, Fla., helps healthcare organizations enhance the patient experience at home, in the hospital and in the physician's office through innovative solutions such as kiosks, Web self-service applications and technology. Galvanon solutions (www.galvanon.com) streamline everyday patient interactions and improve patient flow through the healthcare process.

About NCR Corporation

NCR Corporation (NYSE:NCR) is a global technology company leading how the world connects, interacts and transacts with business. NCR's assisted- and self-service solutions and comprehensive support services address the needs of retail, financial, travel, healthcare, hospitality, gaming and public sector organizations in more than 100 countries. NCR (www.ncr.com) is headquartered in Dayton, Ohio.

NCR is a trademark of NCR Corporation in the United States and other countries.

Source: Business Wire

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