How Mount Sinai Is Reimagining Patient Access and Transforming Digital Access —With Choice, Security, Privacy, and Care at the Center
Healthcare has entered a new era where expectations are shaped by every digital experience patients and employees encounter—not just those in hospitals. Today, people anticipate the same convenience, speed, and security in healthcare that they enjoy in travel, banking, entertainment, and retail. Seamless, digital-first access is now the standard, transforming patient and employee interactions from mere logistics into the essential gateway to care and workplace efficiency. However, this “front door” must not only be convenient but also uphold the highest standards of security and privacy. Protecting patient and employee information is crucial, ensuring that everyone feels confident their personal data is secure while benefiting from streamlined, easy-to-use systems. By making access both frictionless and trustworthy, healthcare organizations can deliver a welcoming, efficient, and safe experience for all.
At Mount Sinai, we believe the next evolution of patient access sits on a foundation of experience, identity assurance, and trust. We heard from our patients that challenges at check in, while signing up for our patient portal could be enhanced. Rather than assume we knew the answer, Mount Sinai held patient focus groups across our diverse communities. Patients helped us define the problem—and ultimately, the solution.
At Mount Sinai, we recognize that the next evolution of patient access must be built on a foundation of exceptional experience, robust identity assurance, and unwavering trust. Our commitment goes beyond simply streamlining processes—we listened directly to our patients and employees through focus groups across our diverse communities to truly understand their needs and concerns. Feedback revealed that hurdles when creating a new patient login, not only caused dissatisfaction but also heightened anxiety. Instead of guessing what would work best, we involved patients and staff in defining both the challenges and the solutions.
This approach isn’t just about adopting new technology—it’s about honoring everyone’s time, reducing stress, and ensuring that personal data is protected with the highest standards of security and privacy. By empowering patients and employees with convenient, clear, and secure access options, we make it easier for them to focus on what matters most: receiving and delivering high-quality care in a safe, trustworthy environment.
Meeting Patients Where They Are
The feedback was clear: many patients are digitally savvy, accustomed to using secure digital identity solutions in their daily lives, and eager for healthcare to catch up. At the same time, patients emphasized the importance of choice, transparency, and trust.
In response, Mount Sinai partnered with CLEAR, a digital identity platform already used by millions in airports, stadiums, and major venues and over 50 healthcare systems across the nation—environments where speed, security, and scale are nonnegotiable. We understood our community and their needs, and we saw an opportunity to responsibly apply a proven tool at Mount Sinai. For many of our patients, CLEAR was already part of their lives and we saw an opportunity to leverage a familiar solution to solve a real problem for our patients.
Digital First—Not DigitalOnly
An essential principle guided our approach: digital first must never mean digital only.
While many patients welcome a faster, digital based check-in and digital identity verification , others prefer traditional options—or have concerns about new technology. We respect that. CLEAR at Mount Sinai is offered as an option, not a requirement.
Patients can choose:
- Digital identity verification for faster check-in
- Traditional registration workflows if they prefer
- Clear explanations about how their data is used and protected
Choice is a core component of compassionate, equitable care.
Likewise, many employees prefer a digital identity verification experience for routine password recovery and for signing into electronic systems, while others prefer to use analog methods. Our employees also have the option to use Clear and it is not a mandate.
Reducing Friction, Strengthening Security
As digital threats grow more sophisticated and more frequent, identity has become a critical layer of cybersecurity. Digital identity solutions allow us to:
- Confirm identity with higher confidence
- Reduce reliance on easily compromised credentials
- Protect patients while simplifying their experience
At the same time, digital identity reduces intake barriers:
- Faster check-in
- Fewer forms
- Improved patient flow
- Less time spent repeating information
The result is a front door experience that feels modern, respectful, and calm—rather than transactional and burdensome.
Strengthening Cybersecurity Through Digital Identity
With increased digital threats, verifying patient and employee identities using digital tools is crucial for protecting sensitive information and simplifying check-in.
Reducing Intake Friction for Patients
Digital identity speeds up check-in, cuts paperwork, and improves workflow, offering a secure and efficient experience for patients and staff.
Giving Time Back to Care Teams
Importantly, this work is not just about patient experience. It is also about the workforce that tirelessly supports our patients and communities.
By simplifying intake and identity verification, we reduce administrative burden on frontline staff. Time once spent managing paperwork and lines can be redirected to:
- Patient engagement
- Care coordination
- Clinical and operational priorities
With healthcare teams facing unprecedented burn-out, friction reduction is key to workforce support. At Mount Sinai, our goal is not to digitize for efficiency alone. Our goal is to create experiences that feel more human—less rushed, less repetitive, less stressful.
Frictionless access does not remove the human element from care; it creates the space for it.
As healthcare continues to navigate disruption, the organizations that lead will be those that listen deeply, design with empathy, and deploy technology thoughtfully. Identity may be the new front door—but trust, choice, and compassion are what invite patients inside.
The post Frictionless Access Is Healthcare’s Next Front Door appeared first on Becker's Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.
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