One of the biggest health systems in Houston has a new digital health program that lets patients check in online before visiting a clinic.

Memorial Hermann Health System is now offering online check-in at its six urgent care clinics.

For non-life-threatening conditions, the clinics currently offer walk-in care from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., seven days a week.

But now by using online check-in, patients can see the current number of individuals in line ahead of them and be able to select a specific time to be seen.

“We know patients’ time is valuable and online check-in allows them to wait in the comfort of their home, at work, or wherever is most convenient for them,” says Dr. Niral Patel, regional director for medical operations urgent care. “We can also notify patients if there are any changes or delays in the schedule, before they head our way, saving them precious waiting time. Our goal is to make visits as smooth as possible.”

If a patient’s primary care physician is a member of Memorial Hermann Medical Group, clinic visits can be placed in the health system’s electronic health record, the hospital says.

In recent years Memorial Hermann has been expanding ways to expedite faster online scheduling. Patients can even seek various levels of direct access to their physician online. The group’s digital offerings now includes centralized scheduling, determining the most suitable doctor and booking an appointment online. A concierge scheduler is also available to support patients seeking referrals from primary care physicians to specialists as well as outpatient imaging and diagnostic labs.

Memorial Hermann Health System is the largest not-for-profit health system in southeast Texas and consists of 16 hospitals, eight cancer centers, three heart and Vascular Institutes, and 27 sports medicine and rehabilitation centers.