You may not realize it, but your healthcare organization already has the data it needs to increase patient retention and improve business process efficiency through a practice-patient text messaging service. There are a variety of reasons for using text messaging in healthcare, but here we'll focus on some of the ways a hospital or physician practice can improve healthcare outcomes for patients and improve business outcomes through a planned text messaging campaign.
Public and emergency information
The easiest way to disseminate public health alerts and emergency information to patients is via text message. The H1N1 panic of just a few years ago was an opportunity for healthcare organizations to give patients the peace of mind of knowing exactly how they could protect themselves and their loved ones. In the future, providers could send a text message to patients guiding them to content on the mobile web that they can access using their smartphone.
In an emergency situation, the only communication device a person may have is their smartphone. Users need the ability to access hospital resources in an emergency, such as finding the closest emergency room. They want to use their smartphone to get access to care as quickly as possible.
Patient-specific clinical information
The above services are critical, but using text messages to provide patient-specific information is what really makes a service or application "sticky" (meaning, a patient will use it over and over). A text system helps lift performance across a wide range of scheduled interventions, procedures and screening processes that require systematic precall and recall (such as mammograms and cervical screening).
For example, we know that currently, around one in 10 appointments are missed, and each missed appointment represents a lost opportunity for health outcomes and revenue. But we also know that patients are more likely to turn up to appointments when they receive reminders. Moreover, mobile text messaging is an effective and efficient way to send appointment reminders to all patient groups. The cost to have a person make scheduling and reminder calls includes salary, work space, phone line and other support costs. The cost to use a text messaging service is a flat monthly rate plus the cost of the text — a small fraction of the amount of revenue that will be recouped from missed appointments.
Appointment reminders only scratch the surface of patient-specific communications. In combination with appointment reminders, immunization and screening reminders can result in a marked increase in priority areas such as childhood immunization. Overseas, practice-patient text messaging systems are already improving lives by offering health advice, medication reminders, post-discharge instructions and even lab results directly to patients in the way they want to be contacted.
Connect, engage, motivate, activate
Give your patients exactly the kind of information they want, when and how they want it.
Tom Caswell is the healthcare market leader for Creative Mobile, LLC, which offers mobile applications to hospitals and other healthcare providers.
Public and emergency information
The easiest way to disseminate public health alerts and emergency information to patients is via text message. The H1N1 panic of just a few years ago was an opportunity for healthcare organizations to give patients the peace of mind of knowing exactly how they could protect themselves and their loved ones. In the future, providers could send a text message to patients guiding them to content on the mobile web that they can access using their smartphone.
In an emergency situation, the only communication device a person may have is their smartphone. Users need the ability to access hospital resources in an emergency, such as finding the closest emergency room. They want to use their smartphone to get access to care as quickly as possible.
Patient-specific clinical information
The above services are critical, but using text messages to provide patient-specific information is what really makes a service or application "sticky" (meaning, a patient will use it over and over). A text system helps lift performance across a wide range of scheduled interventions, procedures and screening processes that require systematic precall and recall (such as mammograms and cervical screening).
For example, we know that currently, around one in 10 appointments are missed, and each missed appointment represents a lost opportunity for health outcomes and revenue. But we also know that patients are more likely to turn up to appointments when they receive reminders. Moreover, mobile text messaging is an effective and efficient way to send appointment reminders to all patient groups. The cost to have a person make scheduling and reminder calls includes salary, work space, phone line and other support costs. The cost to use a text messaging service is a flat monthly rate plus the cost of the text — a small fraction of the amount of revenue that will be recouped from missed appointments.
Appointment reminders only scratch the surface of patient-specific communications. In combination with appointment reminders, immunization and screening reminders can result in a marked increase in priority areas such as childhood immunization. Overseas, practice-patient text messaging systems are already improving lives by offering health advice, medication reminders, post-discharge instructions and even lab results directly to patients in the way they want to be contacted.
Connect, engage, motivate, activate
Give your patients exactly the kind of information they want, when and how they want it.
Tom Caswell is the healthcare market leader for Creative Mobile, LLC, which offers mobile applications to hospitals and other healthcare providers.