Patients at five Memorial Physician Services clinics can now use an app to self-schedule appointments with their physicians and nurse practitioners.

The Memorial Health System app, launched in January, was upgraded with a self-scheduling feature in early June to allow patients to schedule appointments at their convenience for themselves or for their children. It can be accessed through smartphones, tablets, desktop computers or through Alexa, the virtual assistant device developed by Amazon.

“Patients are beginning to expect the convenience of self-scheduling, whether it’s reserving a restaurant table or making a doctor’s appointment,” Nick Nell, system director of digital innovation for Memorial Health System, said. “We wanted to create a very user-friendly approach that allows people to access their doctor’s schedule at any time and make appointments whenever they’re thinking about it.”

The five Memorial Physician Services clinics are in Chatham, Petersburg and at three locations in Springfield: Koke Mill, North Dirksen and South Sixth. The self-scheduling feature is expected to roll out to other Memorial Physician Services clinics in the fall.

“This app will be the one-stop shop for healthcare consumers,” said Travis Dowell, president and CEO of Memorial Physician Services, one of seven affiliates of the Springfield-based Memorial Health System. “People want great care at their convenience, and they want it fast. Our app helps them accomplish that.”

The Memorial app includes the latest security features to ensure that patients’ personal health information is fully protected, Nell said.

People can download the app for free through Goggle Play or Apple app stores by searching for Memorial Health System.

Other features of the app include On My Way, which reduces patient wait times at Memorial’s four ExpressCare locations – three in Springfield and one in Chatham – because patients can sign in for an appointment from their home or office to let ExpressCare know that they’re heading in. Patients have 30 minutes to reach ExpressCare once they’ve signed in.

The app will tell you how many people are waiting at each ExpressCare location so you can choose which locations you want to visit.

The app also allows users to access Memorial’s virtual-care product, MemorialNow, which is a secure, internet-based service to treat non-emergency illnesses and injuries. Patients can enter their symptoms into MemorialNow from home or work, and local nurse practitioners will respond within one hour.

The virtual-care service is staffed from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, including weekends and holidays. If patients need a prescription, MemorialNow has an arrangement with Walgreen’s to deliver their prescriptions to their home or office.

MemorialNow can diagnose hundreds of minor symptoms, including cold and flu, urinary tract infections, sore throats and minor burns and cuts. Patients are not charged unless a diagnosis and treatment plan can be made.