How Duke Health’s Alexa Skill Improved Urgent Care Access

// By Jared Johnson //

Now is an ideal time to explore opportunities for voice skills to improve a consumer’s healthcare experience.

Seamus O’Reilly, senior director of content marketing and digital presence at Duke Health, and Matt Hummel, chief experience officer and vice president of consumer strategy and design at Paragon, presented on this topic during the 2020 Healthcare Internet Conference (HCIC@Home) in a session titled “Alexa, Help Me Optimize My Customers’ Urgent Care Experience.”

Seamus O’Reilly, senior director of content marketing and digital presence, Duke Health

The session highlighted Duke Health’s development of an Alexa skill that provides location information and wait times for the system’s nine urgent care clinics. When asked where a voice strategy fits within a health system’s digital priorities in the coming year, the presenters emphasized getting the basics down first.

“Companies like Amazon and Google have too much invested in voice technology for it to just go away, so I would say that you should definitely consider it for inclusion in your overall digital strategy,” says O’Reilly.

“But where it fits depends on how established your other digital efforts are. Voice is still coming, but there are other technologies and approaches that are either already here and proven or are much closer to being more widely adopted than voice. The better established you are in those areas, the more latitude you have to explore voice.”

Matt Hummel, chief experience officer and vice president of consumer strategy and design, Paragon

Hummel adds, “In terms of 2021 priorities, I think that depends on a couple of factors. First, who is your primary target audience? Are voice channels expected or desired? Second and most importantly, how good is your foundation? I’d always recommend systems focus on the fundamentals and primary channels prior to starting out on more formative channels.”

Here are some of the highlights of the session:

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