It's one of those products that makes you wonder – why didn’t someone invent this 10 or 20 years ago? I’m talking about computerized check-in kiosks that some hospitals and clinics are beginning to place in their lobbies and other public entry areas. In tonight’s Bill of Health segment, I explore why these devices, made by NCR’s Galvanon division, are starting to gain popularity (more than 100 hospital systems now use them).

So...why have these devices only been available in the healthcare market for the past three to four years? Analysts say a key reason is that so many more of us are no longer intimidated or worried about entering data into a computer. We do it all the time -- at ATM cash machines, at gasoline station self-service pumps, at airport ticket kiosks, and on the internet through hotel reservation systems. Computers and data-entry are "no big deal."

Hospitals have linked those developments to the increased value we all place on our time, and they’ve recognized that having patients wait around to check-in is no longer a good option. Many of them see kiosks as not only a way to become more efficient, but also as a way to increase the amount of business they receive from grateful customer-patients. It's no wonder analysts like Charles Anastos at Beacon Partners tell us that such medical-kiosk devices can pay for themselves within a few years, and sometimes even more quickly. That's a return on investment that any business, especially hospitals, would embrace these days.