Scripps Health is a healthcare organization providing both acute care and ambulatory services across five hospital campuses and its corporate headquarters. Serving patients and communities through hospital-based and outpatient care, Scripps Health manages approximately 62,000 visitors per month across its facilities.

Operating at this scale requires balancing a welcoming patient experience with strong security protocols, standardized visitor workflows, and operational visibility across multiple healthcare environments

Challenge: Balancing patient experience with stronger healthcare security

Managing visitor access across five hospital campuses and a corporate headquarters presented growing operational and security challenges for Scripps Health. Without a centralized visitor management system, the organization lacked consistent visibility into who was entering facilities, creating concerns around accountability, operational consistency, and potential disruptions to patient care.

“At the time, we identified a lack of visibility and accountability regarding visitors within our facilities, which posed both operational and security concerns."

The organization also needed to manage these challenges at significant scale, handling approximately 62,000 visitors per month across its healthcare environments.

Additionally, security teams needed a more effective way to identify individuals who could pose a risk to staff, patients, or visitors.

“Scripps Health experienced challenges with unauthorized or disruptive individuals whose presence had the potential to interfere with patient care."

At the same time, any new security protocols needed to preserve accessibility and maintain a positive patient experience.

“We needed to carefully balance maintaining a positive patient experience with the introduction of new security protocols. We were mindful that enhanced visitor screening and check-in procedures could increase entry times.”

The organization also faced the challenge of standardizing visitor workflows across six distinct locations while maintaining consistency across front desk operations and security processes.

Solution: Standardized visitor management designed for healthcare environments

Scripps Health implemented Envoy to create a centralized and scalable visitor management framework across its hospital campuses and corporate office.

Visitor management: Creating visibility and accountability at scale

With Envoy, Scripps Health introduced a standardized digital check-in process that includes integrated photo capture as part of the initial visitor interaction.

“Today, the standard visitor check-in process through Envoy which includes a streamlined sign-in experience with integrated photo capture. This enhancement was incorporated with minimal disruption and has been largely seamless in practice.”

The organization rolled out Envoy using a phased implementation strategy, deploying the solution one hospital site at a time to refine workflows and create greater consistency across all six locations.

“We adopted a phased implementation strategy, rolling out Envoy one hospital site at a time. By iterating as we progressed, we were able to standardize processes more effectively and ensure a smoother, more consistent implementation across all locations.”

The new workflow gives security teams greater visibility into visitor activity while maintaining an efficient experience for patients, families, and guests entering the facilities.

Automated screening and proactive risk mitigation
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Scripps Health also implemented Envoy’s blocklist screening and facial recognition capabilities to strengthen security operations and proactively identify individuals who may pose a risk.

“By incorporating facial recognition into the visitor management process, the system helps prevent individuals from bypassing controls by providing false or altered personal information."

The system can recognize individuals across varying conditions, including changes in appearance, facial hair, hats, and side profiles. When a potential match is identified, security teams receive alerts that enable faster response and intervention.

“When a potential match to a flagged individual is detected, the system generates an alert, enabling security personnel to respond promptly and take appropriate action."

This automated process created a more consistent and scalable approach to visitor screening compared to previous manual workflows.

“The automated solution ensures standardized screening for every visitor. This reduces the likelihood of human error, minimizes gaps in coverage, and helps prevent unauthorized entry.”

In the event a flagged individual is identified, security personnel confirm the match, assess the situation, and determine the appropriate next steps based on established policies.

Operational visibility through real-time visitor data

Beyond security screening, Scripps Health uses Envoy’s real-time visitor tracking and audit logs to improve operational planning and staffing decisions across facilities.

“Our teams use real-time visitor tracking and audit logs to identify peak visitation days and high-traffic times. This helps us align staffing levels with demand.”

These operational insights help the organization better coordinate resources across high-volume healthcare environments while maintaining both safety and visitor experience standards.

Integrations and advanced security capabilities

Scripps Health leverages Envoy’s facial recognition and blocklist screening capabilities to support a more proactive healthcare security strategy across its facilities.

The organization uses these tools to identify potential risks, improve situational awareness, and strengthen visibility into visitor activity at scale.

“An automated visitor management system plays a key role in strengthening our overall risk mitigation strategy by providing actionable data and visibility into visitor activity"

By analyzing visitor insights and traffic patterns, security teams can make more informed decisions about staffing and resource deployment across hospital campuses.

“This proactive approach helps deter potential incidents, reduce the likelihood of workplace violence, and support a safer environment for both medical staff and visitors."

Combined with automated visitor workflows and centralized reporting, these capabilities provide Scripps Health with a more scalable and data-driven approach to healthcare security operations.

Results: Greater visibility, stronger security, and standardized operations

Since implementing Envoy, Scripps Health has transformed how visitors are tracked, screened, and managed across its healthcare environments.

With approximately 62,000 monthly visitors across five hospital campuses and its corporate headquarters, the organization now has a standardized framework for visitor visibility, screening, and operational reporting across all facilities.

“The most significant operational shift has been the ability to achieve comprehensive visitor visibility at scale."

This visibility has strengthened Scripps Health’s broader risk mitigation strategy by helping security teams identify potential threats, monitor high-risk areas, and respond more proactively to security concerns.

“An automated visitor management system plays a key role in strengthening our overall risk mitigation strategy."

The introduction of automated screening and facial recognition has also improved consistency across visitor workflows while reducing reliance on manual processes.

“The automated solution ensures standardized screening for every visitor. This reduces the likelihood of human error, minimizes gaps in coverage, and helps prevent unauthorized entry.”

Operationally, the organization now uses visitor data to better align staffing and security resources with visitor demand across campuses.

“Our teams use real-time visitor tracking and audit logs to identify peak visitation days and high-traffic times."

As Scripps Health continues to expand, the organization plans to maintain this visitor management framework as the standard across future hospital facilities.

“One of the biggest benefits of working with Envoy is their ongoing commitment to product improvement. The platform continues to evolve based on feedback and makes thoughtful enhancements to better align with the needs of our environment.”