Leading healthcare system makes it faster and easier for patients to book appointments, register, pay bills and manage personal data with self-service solutionsDULUTH, Ga., Mar 01, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- The Methodist Hospital System (TMHS), named by U.S. News and World report as one of America's Best Hospitals, is further improving the patient experience by employing self-service online, mobile and kiosk solutions from NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR) to do everything from make an appointment to settle outstanding balances.

"We strive to be at the forefront of technology, whether clinical or administrative, and are always searching for ways to improve our care for and communication with patients," said Tim Thompson, CIO of The Methodist Hospital System. "Self-service allows us to achieve those goals by providing greater control and convenience for our patients before, during and after their hospital stay."

Based in Houston, TMHS will deploy a number of self-service solutions across its enterprise of four hospitals and a physician practice:

• NCR Patient Portal gives patients the ability to manage personal profiles, book or change appointments and view and pay account balances online;
• NCR MediKiosk(TM) shortens the check-in process, allowing patients to enter information directly onto a kiosk upon arrival, confirm insurance details, complete questionnaires and consent forms, and make payments;
• NCR Wayfinding gives patients the ability to publish custom, interactive maps to more easily navigate their way through the healthcare facility;
• NCR Payment Manager integrates with the hospital's billing system, allowing patients to pay bills and copayments however it is most convenient - at a kiosk, online or via a mobile device

Studies show that offering this added convenience can have a significant impact on patient loyalty. A 2009 survey of U.S. consumers commissioned by NCR reveals that 72 percent of patients are more likely to choose a healthcare provider that offers the flexibility to interact via online, mobile and kiosk self-service channels.

"NCR healthcare solutions leverage the self-service best practices we've learned from automating consumer interactions throughout our daily lives, whether at the bank, in a store, or traveling through an airport," said Nelson Gomez, Vice President, NCR Healthcare. "By extending that increasingly familiar self-service convenience to its patients, Methodist can further differentiate its services while increasing efficiency and driving down costs."

By capturing data, signatures and consent forms electronically, self-service supports a truly paperless workflow that can significantly decrease the costs associated with processing and handling of paper-based forms. It can also improve the overall accuracy of patient data by eliminating redundancies and duplicate data entry. Staff once focused on completing forms can focus on patient needs.

About The Methodist Hospital System

The Methodist Hospital System is a non-profit organization comprising a major academic medical center, three community hospitals and a research institute. Methodist provides state of the art medical care, preventive and primary care, traditional hospital services and translational research. The System's flagship, The Methodist Hospital, one of the nation's largest private, non-profit general hospitals, is ranked among the country's top centers in 15 specialties and is listed as an "Honor Roll" hospital in U.S. News & World Report's 2009 America's Best Hospitals issue. The Methodist Hospital System also has been named to FORTUNE's "100 Best Companies to Work For" list for five years in a row.

Methodist is primarily affiliated with Weill Cornell Medical College and New York Presbyterian Hospital, two of the nation's leading centers for patient care, medical education and research.

Methodist is committed to providing the finest spiritual care coupled with healing skill, compassion, and respect for human dignity, it also believes that sound educational programs enhance the quality of patient care.

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, entertainment, gaming and public sector organizations in more than 100 countries. NCR (www.ncr.com) is headquartered in Duluth, Georgia.

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

SOURCE: NCR Corporation

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