How Wayfinding Software Enhances Visitor Experience in Hospitals
Walking into a large hospital can feel overwhelming. Multiple entrances, unclear signage, endless parking lots — and the clock ticking toward your appointment. It’s easy to feel lost before care even begins.
That’s precisely where Wayfinding Software comes in.
In this web blog, we’ll break down how Wayfinding Software transforms hospital navigation for patients, visitors, and staff, and why getting it right matters more than ever.
What Is Wayfinding?
Wayfinding Software refers to digital tools that guide people through complex indoor spaces, like hospital campuses. In healthcare, that includes:
- Indoor and outdoor maps
- Turn-by-turn directions
- Real-time “blue dot” positioning
- Rerouting during construction or closures
- Access via mobile apps, MyChart, kiosks, digital signage, SMS chatbot, web, or hotline
Cartogram goes further, using BLE beacons, Google Maps SDK, and deep integration across devices to deliver seamless navigation.
What Is MyChart Wayfinding?
MyChart Wayfinding is Wayfinding Software integrated directly into the Epic MyChart patient portal. This makes the navigation experience part of the patient’s existing care journey, with no new apps to download or systems to learn.
Here’s how it works:
- After accessing an appointment, patients tap “Get Directions” right in MyChart
- Cartogram guides them from home to the right parking lot, entrance, elevator, floor, and room, then back out
- It adapts routes for accessibility, closed corridors, or special instructions
MyChart Wayfinding brings personalized navigation into a trusted, HIPAA-compliant environment, helping reduce missed appointments and late arrivals.
Why Visitor Experience Matters
Hospitals are high-stress environments. Poor wayfinding worsens that stress, wastes time, causes confusion, and overwhelms patients before they even see a provider.
Real-world impacts of poor navigation:
- First impressions suffer: Visitors start their experience already frustrated
- More missed or late appointments: Disruption to schedules and care delivery
- Staff burnout increases: Front desk and security are constantly interrupted for directions
- Anxiety spikes: Visitors arriving to see loved ones or undergo treatment feel even more vulnerable
A modern, intuitive navigation system solves these problems, quietly but powerfully.
MyChart Wayfinding: A Deeper Look
Patients already use MyChart for appointments, test results, and communication. Adding Wayfinding Software inside that same portal reduces friction.
Key benefits of MyChart Wayfinding:
- Higher adoption: No new app to download
- Better trust: Patients feel more secure using a known system
- Fewer questions: Clear, step-by-step guidance lowers confusion
- Better outcomes: Less stress means a smoother experience, before care even starts
Common Challenges (and How to Solve Them)
❌ Poor Map Accuracy
Outdated maps lead to frustration and mistrust.
✅ Solution: Use dynamic mapping tools and schedule regular updates in coordination with facilities.
❌ Inconsistent Physical Signage
If digital directions don’t match the physical space, visitors still get lost.
✅ Solution: Align signage, landmarks, and color cues with digital guidance.
❌ Tech Learning Curve
Not all users are tech-savvy.
✅ Solution: Offer multiple access points — mobile, kiosks, QR codes, SMS/chat, or voice support.
❌ Complex Integration
MyChart integration involves technical, regulatory, and workflow alignment.
✅ Solution: Work with an experienced vendor like Cartogram. Engage stakeholders early, test carefully, and ensure full compliance
How Cartogram Puts Wayfinding Software & MyChart Wayfinding into Action
Cartogram powers real-time hospital navigation across the country. Here’s how we make it work in practice:
Features That Matter
- Blue Dot Navigation: Live indoor positioning, accurate across floors and buildings
- Full MyChart Integration: Tap “Get Directions” directly in the portal
- Multiple Access Points: Mobile, web, SMS, kiosks, digital signage, SMS chatbot, QR codes, hotline
- Dynamic Maps: Easily update routes for construction, closures, or new wings
- Custom Branding: Maps match your hospital’s look and feel
Measuring Success: What To Track
How do you know your wayfinding software is working? Track these KPIs:
| Metric | Why It Matters |
| On-time arrival rate | Shows if people are finding their way successfully |
| Missed appointment rate | Reduces costly no-shows |
| Visitor satisfaction scores | Reflects how supported people feel |
| Wayfinding usage data | Reveals adoption and drop-off points |
| Front desk direction requests | Should decrease with better navigation |
| Flow patterns in buildings | Identify where people get stuck |
Make Your Visitor Experience Better Today
If your hospital is still relying heavily on static maps, confusing signage, or seeing patients arrive late because they got lost, you can change that. Here’s how to move forward.
What Your Hospital Should Do Next
- Evaluate your current wayfinding challenges: Talk to patients, visitors, and your front desk staff. Where do people struggle?
- Explore Wayfinding Software options: Make sure you pick a platform that supports real-time indoor/outdoor, multi-building navigation, integrates with existing systems, offers multiple access channels, and provides multiple access options.
- Consider MyChart Wayfinding: If your facility uses Epic MyChart, integrating navigation into MyChart unlocks significant benefits.
- Budget & select a campus: Get buy-in from stakeholders and select a campus to start with.
- Measure & optimize. Use the KPIs above to measure performance and make improvements.
Why Choose Cartogram
Cartogram’s technology is leading the way:
- Epic MyChart integration: seamless, secure, and familiar to patients
- Proven technology stack: BLE beacons, Google Maps SDK, indoor/outdoor routing
- Multiple touchpoints: apps, web, SMS chatbot, kiosks, digital signage, QR codes, and hotline.
- CMS: tools to manage and update your maps as your campus changes over time
- End-to-end support: A program manager is assigned to set you up for success from planning, onboarding, installation, integration, testing, launch, updates, and maintenance
FAQs
- Does MyChart Wayfinding require new hardware?
Yes, to support indoor “blue dot” navigation, you’ll need BLE beacons. Cartogram is your single source for both software and hardware for your wayfinding deployment. - What if patients or visitors aren’t tech savvy?
Cartogram supports kiosks, printable maps, and a hotline where a tech will verbally navigate the patient/visitor from their current location to their destination. - How secure is patient location data?
Cartogram is HIPAA compliant. The indoor/outdoor positioning is used to guide the user, not to track them. The positioning data is anonymized. - Does it really reduce missed appointments?
Yes, hospitals using Cartogram report improved arrival rates and fewer no-shows. When patients know exactly where to go, when to arrive, and what to expect along the way, they show up on time.
Don’t Let Navigation Be a Barrier to Care
Healthcare should be focused on healing, not on finding the right building.
Wayfinding Software, and especially MyChart Wayfinding, helps your hospital create a smoother, safer, and more welcoming experience from the moment someone steps on campus.
Let Cartogram help you remove friction, reduce missed appointments, and improve patient satisfaction, one step at a time.
Ready to Get Started?
Contact Cartogram today to schedule a demo or explore how we can improve your hospital’s navigation experience with MyChart Wayfinding, from the parking lot to the appointment room and back.
