Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by MinuteClinic.
As a mom, I’ve wasted many hours sitting in a waiting room with a sick kid. Sometimes I’ve sat in those rooms by myself, thanks to my kids sharing something with me. Either way, while I’m usually good at amusing myself (and the kid with me) thanks to the invention of smartphones, it’s not my favorite thing. I mean, who wants to sit around with a bunch of sick people. I’m not even going to tell you about the time I had to take Shoo with me to sit in the waiting room at the Urgent Care when he was 2 days old. Thank you, old roofing nail.
So, when I heard about MinuteClinic ‘s new feature where you could go online and hold your place in line, I was pretty excited. Seriously? I could get online and schedule something and go about my day until it was time? Umm, yes please.
I decided to take advantage of the service on last week. I had a free comprehensive exam from MinuteClinic and I actually had a couple of things I wanted to check up on, so I hopped online and tried it out.
The steps to use the MinuteClinic “Hold My Place in Line” are simple:
* Step 1: Use the clinic locator to select the clinic that you would like to visit. View approximate wait times for this clinic and nearby clinics to help you choose the best option.
* Step 2: If the Hold My Place In Line button is available, click on the button to begin your online pre-registration.
* Step 3: Follow the prompts to complete the pre-registration process. You will then receive a confirmation email or text message with your unique pre-registration code. 
* Step 4: Visit the clinic shortly before your time to be seen and sign into the kiosk using the unique pre-registration code that was provided in your pre-registration email or text message.
* Step 5: Once you’ve signed in at the kiosk your registration is complete and you’re ready to be seen when the practitioner is available.
I quickly signed up for the clinic closest to me, which had a 119 minute wait. Yeah, I was glad not to be sitting there LOL. I decided to go running and headed out for a 4 mile run. Then I grabbed a quick shower.
I knew I still had at least an hour, so I checked back in onMinuteClinic. The place where I was planning to go still had crazy long waits, which means lots of people in the waiting room. I knew I was “in line”, but honestly, didn’t really want to sit around with sick people even for the few minutes before my exam. Then I discovered a MinuteClinic that only had a 15 minute wait! I quickly canceled my place in line at the first place, got in line at the second place, and raced over.
How did that work out?
It was amazing. I walked in and was only behind one person who was being seen as I logged into the kiosk. So, maybe 10 minutes?
I had a great appointment too. I followed up on a couple of things, get my cholesterol checked (I rock, you guys!), and get lots of compliments on how fit I was. The nurse practitioner was awesome, she was able to answer my questions, and the clinic was spotless. All in all, it was a wonderful experience. I didn’t have anything serious going on, but it was nice to ask a few questions and not have to try and get an appointment with my doctor.
All told, the time away from my house, including drive time, was less than an hour! We have great doctors and that is always my first choice. But now I have a great option for a quick strep test or diagnosis of a rash or bug bite. Even better, the process sent me to a MinuteClinic I’d never used that is a great option for future needs. Win/win all around. If I could make one suggestion though, it would be to receive a text when you are getting close to your designated time. I had to write down what time a 119 minute wait would mean so that I could figure out when to leave my house. An update text saying “hey, your visit is in xx minutes” would be awesome.
Disclaimer: MinuteClinic provided me with a free Comprehensive Exam and compensated me for this post. All opinions are my own.
I think it’s so cool that you can do that! Who has time to wait? Our local emergency room has something similar (though obviously if it’s a real emergency you just need to get in there).
That is a fabulous idea and I hope it becomes more widespread. I think that WAITING in doc and dentist offices is the biggest time waster in our lives!
Minute clinic sounds like a great option! That’s one area that I feel really lucky in, we can just call our Dr.’s office to see if she’s running behind so we don’t waste time sitting in her office too long. So great that you could squeeze in run before your appointment too!
That sounds like it is a really helpful item! Glad it worked or you. 🙂
we use minute clinic a lot did not know you could now reserve your spot on line ahead of time. Thanks for the good info!
what a concept! I’m in a fairly small town (population approx. 10,000)…I doubt there’s anything like that in my immediate area. Bummer!!
What an interesting concept!
That’s such a great idea! Way to go, Minute Clinic!
Very cool that you’re able to do that! What a great way to save time!
Whaaat?! This sounds amazing!
Interesting! The healthcare company I work for recently purchased the Minute Clinics in the Chicago area and I’m helping with some education for the nurse practitioners. I don’t think they are using this concept right now. I’ll have to ask at our next meeting!
Between this and Zocdoc, I love how the whole inefficient doctor’s office thing is being addressed through technology 🙂
This is awesome! As a health care professional we have come a long way in technology to make the patient experience better. I agree a text would be even better. I don’t like being around all those sick people either when I just have a bite, rash or cut that needs attention. Great post!
Sounds like a great system. I hate going to urgent care and having to wait indefinitely to be seen. I’ll have to check this out!
This is awesome! As a nurse I am pretty patient about waiting but I hate being at an urgent care for over an hour with really sick people because it is likely I will leave with something more than I came with. This is a great option to avoid that.