The Lounge

The Lounge started as a physical space for young adult patients at MSK. The eponymous social network helps them connect online.

Team

Melissa Nguyen and I embedded in MyMSK Mobile and partnering with MSK Adolescents and Young Adults(AYA))

Challenges

• The existing registration flow was full of friction, requiring many steps across multiple platforms over a period of days
• The complications were due in part to the sensitivity of a closed space like The Lounge and legal restrictions related to health information

Process

We began with stakeholder discussions and mapping out the existing registration process from the patient and AYA perspectives.

It required users to submit a form on MSK's site (not the app) → AYA staff to confirm identity and age → staff sends an Adobe eSign HIPAA form → patient signs → staff reviews consent and sends access code → patient receives a secure email that needs a separate login → patient then proceeds to create and account with access code in The Lounge app.

We set out to see how much we could cut and consolidate while still remaining legally compliant and respecting the privacy of the patients.

This required continual coordination with stakeholders, legal staff, and the software team. All of these had to be looped into the design and iteration process in one form or another.

Solutions

• Process can be initiated within the app and not just on MSK's site
• Identity and age must still be confirmed but the resultant email was no longer a secure email requiring separate login
• Once passcode was entered, the HIPAA form could be signed directly in the app and not on Adobe eSign
• After the consent, the user can proceed with creating their account in the app

Impact

Measurement of new registrations was muddled by a pause in AYA's usual promotion of the platform after MSK switched to a new EHR and patient portal. Once the outreach resumed, registrations increased significantly, perhaps due to a combination of the improved flow as well as outreach methods.