The Pandemic May Have Killed Waiting Rooms
And we’re better off for it
Since the onset of Covid-19, patients seeking any number of health care services have found an annoying, often frustrating hurdle inconspicuously absent: the waiting room. This dreaded area of contagion, paperwork, insurance verification, and awkward looks has been eradicated for the moment — becoming yet another possible relic of a pre-Covid past.
Before a few recent in-person visits to a medical and dental clinic, I received all relevant paperwork via email days before my appointment, was asked to submit my insurance information ahead of time, and was instructed to call or text the clinic shortly before arrival and wait outside or in my car for a text notifying me it was time to enter the office. Upon entry, I was escorted to a treatment room and seen by the doctor. I then paid for the visit on my way out. The entire process, seamless and efficient, made me question why it took a global pandemic to make this normal.
Despite efforts to rename or rebrand the waiting room a “reception room” or “greeting area” over the years, patients have not been fooled. Waiting for medical treatment is not the same as checking into a hotel or attending a wedding. At a medical office, you sign in, receive a clipboard asking for updated health or insurance information, and then, you wait.
