It’s time to kiss long wait times goodbye at Campus Health Services in Tempe, because a new technological system — CarePass — is being put into action this week.

The program, which is free for students, allows visitors to use their mobile phones to receive appointment reminders, confirm appointments and be notified when their turn to be seen comes, said Allen Blaz, a product marketer for Allviant, the company that developed CarePass.

Dan Genduso, a second year MBA student and new user of the system, said the CarePass process “is similar to how restaurants utilize the table-buzzer system.”

When the doctor is almost ready for the appointment, users will receive a text message, e-mail, phone call, or all three, so they know to return to Campus Health Services, Blaz said.

“It is a new technology that connects you to your healthcare world,” Blaz said in an e-mail.

Jordan Meyerowitz, an associate with product management at Allviant, said the technology is going over well with staff and students.

“CarePass is a two-way communication system for students to reply back to the virtual waiting room,” he said.

Students can reply to the e-mails or text messages to keep Campus Health staff updated on their location before appointments, he said.

Students hoping to visit Campus Health Services without appointments could be forced to wait as long as several hours, but CarePass gives users the option of waiting elsewhere so the appointment won’t disrupt their day.

Genduso said it can be a burden to wait in a doctor’s office, especially if you need to be in class.

“The main reason I signed up was because of the virtual waiting room,” he said.

CarePass also reinforces rules of Campus Health Services, such as how students are reminded to come to their appointments 20 minutes early to fill out paperwork and verify their insurance, Meyerowitz said.

One example of the CarePass technology at work is in the H1N1 flu vaccination process, he said, which requires two visits to Campus Health one month apart. In this case, CarePass will automatically remind students to return for the second vaccination.

More than 200 students signed up to use CarePass during Welcome Week on campus, Meyerowitz said.
Campus health staff members are continuing to enroll students in the program at Campus Health Services on the Tempe campus.

Music therapy sophomore Courtney Rieck said the last time she visited Campus Health Services, she didn’t see a doctor until 20 minutes after her appointment had been scheduled to begin.

“I couldn’t get anyone to tell me how long I had to wait,” she said.

Rieck said she liked the idea of the CarePass service because it would have added convenience and taken less time out of her day.

“I would have come a lot later [to my appointment] if I would have known how long it was going to take,” she said.

Reach the reporter at dlsalaza@asu.edu.