RENTON, Wash. — Providence St. Joseph Health (PSJH), one of the nation’s largest health systems, has teamed up with Amazon Alexa for a collaboration that is advancing convenient access to health care. Through new HIPAA-compliant skills, users will be able to set up health care visits and manage medical appointments using their voice on any Alexa-enabled device.
Providence St. Joseph Health is the first health care provider on the West Coast to offer this technology.
“Voice is going to be a big part of the future in all areas of our lives, including health and health care. We’re excited to be one of the first health systems in the U.S. to build Alexa skills that help our patients connect to our providers and get faster access to care. We’re innovating around how consumers experience and access health care,” said Aaron Martin, Executive Vice President and Chief Digital Officer, Providence St. Joseph Health.
West Coast consumers will connect to the Providence Health Connect or Swedish Health Connect apps, ask Alexa to find a location near their home, and schedule and cancel appointments at Providence and Swedish Express Care Clinics in the greater Seattle area and across 22 clinics in Washington State. Alexa can also suggest next-available appointments at Express Care locations and match the best date and time for the visit. Express Care clinics are conveniently located and open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week.
To use these two new Alexa skills, customers simply say, “Alexa, open Providence (or Swedish) Health Connect” and Alexa will suggest appointment times at a clinic closest to their home, either the same or next day. Consumers may also specify the ideal time or time window by saying “later today” or at a specific time and the skill will search for a matching appointment. It is also possible to cancel the appointment and schedule a new one through Alexa.
For set up, go to the Alexa app and enable the Providence (or Swedish) Health Connect skill found under Health and Fitness. Sign in or sign up for a Providence (or Swedish) Health Connect account on the Alexa app and establish a voice code PIN. Then, link the Alexa skill to your Health Connect account. The Swedish Health Connect skill is available today on the Alexa app and the Providence Health Connect skill will be available soon.
Providence St. Joseph Health plans to expand the Alexa skills to an additional 15 Providence Express Care locations in Oregon and is exploring new skills development and further expansion throughout PSJH’s seven-state service area.
About Providence St. Joseph Health
Providence St. Joseph Health is a national, not-for-profit Catholic health system comprising a diverse family of organizations and driven by a belief that health is a human right. With 51 hospitals, 829 physician clinics, senior services, supportive housing and many other health and educational services, the health system and its partners employ more than 119,000 caregivers serving communities across seven states – Alaska, California, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas and Washington with system offices based in Renton, Wash., and Irvine, Calif.
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