Make your website search conversational and consumer-friendly: Healthcare’s next-generation digital front door

Patients want a healthcare experience that mimics the convenience they enjoy in other areas of their lives – finding information through predictive search on Google, for instance, or scheduling an appointment as easily as they make dinner reservations on OpenTable.

Unfortunately, healthcare falls short. Few provider websites offer a true “digital front door,” with intuitive ways to find care or accurate information. 

Case in point: In December, my PCP asked me to schedule lab services. I did what any 21st century consumer would do: I went to my hospital’s website to locate a lab and schedule an appointment.
  • I typed “lab services” into the search bar – and was instantly overwhelmed with a laundry list of hundreds of labs across Chicago-land. 
  • Needing something close to home, I added “near me” and my ZIP code to the search – and was presented with the same confusing list as before.

Not helpful at all. I couldn’t find a convenient location, much less make an appointment. Ultimately, I simply showed up at the hospital, hoping they could fit me in. Luckily, they did – but that’s not how it should work. In healthcare, we throw up barriers, so it’s nearly impossible for patients to readily find information and care. And because they can’t, overburdened staff must complete tasks that could be easily handled through automation.

Orbita is fixing this problem with Blaze, an innovation that marries the utility of a Google-like site search and the convenience of a healthcare-specific chatbot. The result? We can transform the entire website into an interactive virtual assistant powered by conversational AI to improve patient navigation. Representing the next generation of the digital front door, Blaze triggers hyper-personalized dialogs to pose questions and probe for details to ensure patients find what they’re looking for. 

Blaze solves a myriad of problems:
  • Automating repetitive tasks for greater efficiency and lower costs;
  • Freeing staff from routine tasks so they can focus on high-value activities;
  • Reducing leakage caused by frustrated patients seeking care elsewhere;
  • Improving the patient experience, satisfaction and loyalty in today’s highly competitive market (you can bet Amazon and Walgreens will offer a great consumer experience!)

Learn more about Blaze here. And in the meantime, consider these statistics:
  • 50% of patients say one bad digital experience ruins their entire interaction with a provider;
  • 78% of people who said they switched providers in 2021 did so because of poor healthcare navigation;
  • 43% of website visitors prefer to use the search bar when it is available.

Contact us at hello@orbita.ai or request a demo to learn how Orbita can enhance your website to make finding information and care easier.
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