Novant Health Patients Can Now Use Google Assistant for Search Requests

Patients of Novant Health, the four-state integrated healthcare network headquartered in North Carolina, can now use Google Assistant to locate the nearest physician clinic, urgent care, emergency room or medical center.

According to Novant officials who made the announcement this week, patients can use Google Assistant to learn what services are available at various locations, as well as details like wait times and office hours. Google Assistant will send the facility’s address and phone number, GPS directions, as well as the results about the specialty information from your search directly to the patient’s mobile phone, officials noted.

More specifically, when using Google Assistant, users can search for Novant Health locations by:

• City, ZIP code or saying “near me”
• Location type (urgent care, medical center, primary care clinic, specialty care clinic or pharmacy)
• Name of clinic or hospital location
• Hours of operation and if wait times are available
• Asking about services such as flu shots, X-rays and if walk-ins are accepted

The Google Assistant Investment Program made its first foray into healthcare last fall when it invested in patient voice assistant Aiva, which specializes in hands-free communication between patients and caregivers.

Google Assistant is available on many Google Home and Android devices, and Apple device users may download Google Assistant from the app store. In addition to Google Assistant, Novant Health is also available on Amazon’s Alexa, according to officials.

“With Google Assistant, Novant Health is making healthcare more accessible for our patients,” said Angela Yochem, Novant Health executive vice president and chief digital and tech officer. “Enabling access to information through smart speakers like Amazon Echo and Google Home is one of many ways we use technology to help our patients get the information they need and the care they deserve.”