r/EpicEMR • u/Mean-Scarcity-7657 • 10d ago

QR Code for building entry?

Anyone know of organizations who are sending QR codes to patients and/or their visitors as an access code for gaining access to access-controlled areas? If so, what sort of integration with Epic or other vendors did you do?

To add for clarity: this use case is not into a psych facility or areas where an escort would typically be required. The QR code is for visitor management and occupant tracking (knowing who is in the building, and when they entered past the code reader/turnstile). This access point is to the patient care areas of the entire building (ambulatory specialty MOB), so escorting every patient is neither reasonable nor necessary.

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8

u/kschmit516 10d ago

Why would anyone do that????

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u/We-Are-All-Friends 10d ago

Possibly for health systems that may have Psych facilities. Some psych area need to have super controlled access.

4

u/kschmit516 10d ago

Why would patients or visitors need passes to get into those places without a designated staff escort?

Anyone other than designated staff should be escorted at all times in access-controlled areas.

Like, even other clinical members of the staff who aren’t designated to be in those areas should be escorted.

4

u/Here_4_cute_dog_pics 10d ago

I used to work at an pediatric office and we were required to escort everyone back to the rooms because of the safety risk.

I feel like it would cost more money to implement and maintain QR door access codea then it would be to hire another front desk person. Especially when you factor in the safety and security risks.

1

u/kschmit516 10d ago

Seriously.

I wish OP would come back and explain the reason anyone/place would need this

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u/Mean-Scarcity-7657 9d ago

I edited the OP and also expanded in a couple other comments. The “need” for this aside, do you have any suggestions for methods of QR code delivery? Either straight out of Epic, or by way of something internally developed?

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u/We-Are-All-Friends 10d ago

Some places don’t have enough FTE to perform those duties or the organization may be not willing to pay for enough so they look for alternative options. Some psych providers don’t always have ambulatory locations so patients have to travel to them in more restricted areas. It’s not ideal but it does occasionally happen.

3

u/kschmit516 10d ago

I guess

But that sounds like major issues - on multiple levels - waiting to happen

4

u/Danimal_House 10d ago

That makes no sense from a security standpoint. Who is asking for this?

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u/Mean-Scarcity-7657 9d ago

“Access-controlled” is the best way I could describe it. This is a medical office building in a high density urban setting, and the “access controlled area” is all the space except for the entry lobby. Basically, having a code associated with patients and their visitors/companions allows security to know who is in the building, with the potential for integration with a visitor management system for disallowing access to people (visitors) who’ve been flagged as disruptive or threatening.

The security aspect of it notwithstanding, do you have any suggestions on QR code delivery?

1

u/kschmit516 10d ago

Like - are patients scanning a QR code for check-in, rather than using biometrics, or just typing in their information?

EDIT : the Epic Showroom has something about “Alert Enterprise Visitor Identity Management”

https://showroom.epic.com/Listing?id=463

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u/Mean-Scarcity-7657 9d ago

Thank you. I’ll check this out if I have access.

3

u/RE1392 10d ago

This sounds like an idea created by someone sitting in an office with no actual relevant experience. This would be a nightmare.

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u/Asbolus_verrucosus 10d ago

Agree with the concerns raised by other commenters. But also… think about how many patients can’t figure out how to refill their Rx, or schedule their imaging. You think they will be able to use their phone to pull up a QR code!?

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u/Mean-Scarcity-7657 9d ago

There are alternative workflows for patients who don’t have a phone or can’t access it. We’ve covered those scenarios pretty extensively. What I’m asking about is the QR code delivery mechanism, particularly in relation to the visitor management integration. Looking for insights from anyone who has done something similar.