Google is rolling out a new feature that allows people to book health care appointments, right from the search results.
The results Google displays include availability of select health care providers in your area, though at start, the company has partnered with MinuteClinic at CVS to start.
For instance, when you search for a MinuteClinic near where you live, Google will return results showing the types of appointments you can schedule. These include visits for a check-up, vaccination, skin condition, or an injury/illness without. The best part is that all this happens inside Google Search with no extra steps needed to complete your booking.
The tech giant said the feature is still in the early rollout phase, hoping to expand the partner network and add new functionalities that will make it easier for users to access the care they need.
Recently, Google also released features to help people navigate the complex healthcare system and make more informed decisions, like finding healthcare providers who take their insurance.
In the other Google-related news – starting this week in Japan, Brazil and India, Google’s YouTube is adding health source information panels on videos to provide context that helps viewers identify videos from authoritative sources, and health content shelves that more effectively highlight videos from these sources when people search for specific health topics. These context cues help people easily navigate and evaluate credible health information.