According to a study by Consumer Affairs, 97% of Americans own a mobile phone, and spend an average of 4 hours and 30 minutes on their phones each day. This makes reaching patients in their phone’s native SMS function an ideal platform for healthcare staff to increase engagement. Healthcare staff carry the same consumer expectations, preferring to communicate digitally with patients.  In a recent Kyruus Health research study, our team found that 88% of front office staff at medical group and mid-level hospitals found two-way communication tools important for their day-to-day tasks. Let’s explore the benefits of SMS-based patient communication and why it should be a top priority for provider organizations.

Instant and convenient communication

Unlike traditional methods of communication such as phone calls or emails, SMS for healthcare solutions offer instant and convenient communication. With just a few taps, staff can send appointment reminders, collect outstanding balances, and other important updates to patients. This not only saves time for both parties but also eliminates the need for patients to remember to check their emails, voicemail, or patient portal for important information. In fact, a study by the Journal of Medical Internet Research found that 70% of patients preferred receiving appointment reminders via text message over other forms of communication.

Increased engagement and patient satisfaction

Effective communication is a crucial component of patient engagement, which is essential for improving patient outcomes. A study by the Journal of Medical Internet Research found that patients who received text message reminders were more likely to attend their appointments and follow their treatment plans, resulting in improved health outcomes. Additionally, SMS for healthcare allows patients to ask questions, provide feedback, and request refills or appointments easily, leading to increased patient satisfaction.

When taking a step outside of the healthcare industry, SMS marketing statistics for USA businesses tout that 95% of text messages are read and responded to within 3 minutes of being received. Additionally, the average open rate for an SMS campaign is 9%, 5x that of email (20%). It is almost guaranteed that any SMS message will be received and read. The effectiveness of SMS for healthcare can surely mirror that of other businesses to meet consumers where they are while driving increased engagement and satisfaction for provider organizations.

Cost-effective and time-saving

SMS for healthcare solutions are not only convenient but also cost-effective for provider organizations. Traditional methods of communication, such as phone calls, can be time-consuming and require additional staff resources. The last thing front office staff need is a room line full of patients waiting to be attended to while they are patiently waiting for a patient to answer the phone call —that ultimately gets sent to voicemail.

On the other hand, text messages can be automated and sent in bulk, reducing the time and resources needed for patient communication. SMS for healthcare solutions can allow staff to send alerts to all patients with an appointment that day to use an alternate entrance due to utility work, or remind everyone that hasn’t seen their primary care provider in over a year to schedule their annual exam. These methods of bulk sending, known as broadcast messaging and health campaigns allow staff to focus on other important tasks that ultimately saves money for the organization.

SMS for healthcare provides compliance with HIPAA regulations

Patient privacy and confidentiality are of utmost importance in the healthcare industry. With the rise of digital communication, it is crucial for provider organizations to comply with HIPAA regulations. Fortunately, SMS-based communication platforms offer secure messaging options that are compliant with HIPAA regulations. This ensures that patient information remains private and secure, providing peace of mind for both patients and provider staff.

It is difficult to argue that effective patient communication is vital for the success of any provider organization. SMS-based communication not only offers convenience and cost-effectiveness but also improves patient engagement and satisfaction. With the use of mobile technology not going anywhere in the foreseeable future, utilizing SMS-based communication in healthcare is a no-brainer. By incorporating this tool into their communication strategy, provider organizations can enhance patient communication, leading to better patient outcomes and overall success.

The post The Power of SMS for Healthcare Providers: Improving Communication and Efficiency appeared first on Kyruus Health.

The average physician appointment lasts only 18 minutes. That doesn’t mean, though, that patients get in and out of their provider’s office that quickly.

It is not unheard of for patients to wait 30 minutes or more to be seen by their doctor — and that’s after getting an appointment scheduled. Even though 84% of patients agree that a reasonable wait time is a crucial component of a quality patient experience, the average wait time for new-patient, non-emergent appointments across five specialties is 26 days— that’s up 8% from 2017.

Some waits are unavoidable, and a majority of patients understand that. Most, but not all. A poll conducted by MGMA found that long wait times were one of the prominent reasons for the 71% increase in disruptive patients. That’s a little scary for healthcare providers!

The Avoidable Consequences of Lengthy Patient Wait Times

One of the most common consequences of lengthy wait times is patient attrition, which typically leads to lost practice revenue. Nearly two-thirds of physicians believe wait times have “no impact” or “minimal impact” on their ability to retain patients, but research doesn’t match that. Roughly 40% of patients start feeling frustration when wait times exceed 20 minutes, 30% have walked out of an appointment due to a long wait, and 20% have changed doctors because of wait times.

Medical groups with longer wait times typically receive lower patient satisfaction scores, and lengthy wait times are associated with less patient satisfaction and medical compliance and increased no-show rates. A key factor that substantially affects wait times is poor practice workflows, which also cause productivity losses, dissatisfaction, and chronic stress among medical group personnel.

Patient wait times don’t only affect patient satisfaction. Some patients who have to wait too long to see their provider may experience worsening health, thereby increasing healthcare costs through an added level of complexity of care.

Why Patients — and Providers — Prefer Digital Health Tools

You already know that lengthy wait times equal dissatisfied patients. This is a fixable problem, though. It simply takes some strategy, communication, and the use of patient-friendly digital health tools. Many patients prefer to have the resources available to conveniently find a provider, schedule appointments, register and check in, participate in a telehealth visit, notify the front desk that they’ve arrived for their appointment, and submit funds for a copay or outstanding balance — all through their smartphone, computer, or another mobile device.

Also, as noted by MGMA, by self-reporting information such as their ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, social determinants of health (SDoH), and family health history before they arrive at the office, patients can help improve patient-reported outcomes (PROs). Physicians who prefer digital health are attracted to these tools for two main reasons: they improve operational efficiency and increase patient safety.

Online Appointment Scheduling 

More than 60% of consumers have indicated that the ability to schedule appointments online is important to them when choosing a new provider. That’s just one of the findings in Kyruus’ 2023 Care Access Benchmark Report that point to patient preferences for digital health. Similarly, 89% of consumers surveyed say appointment availability is extremely or very important when selecting care.

Convenience is a big reason patients prefer receiving care from a provider whose practice offers online scheduling. They have 24/7 access to their provider’s schedule and can book appointments at a time that works best for them, even if it’s after working hours.. The result is fewer no-shows and delays, decreased administrative burden for staff, and more accurate patient-provider matching.

Digital Check-In

A manual patient intake and registration process leaves a lot of room for human error. Plus, it isn’t only inconvenient — it leads to poor time management that results in longer wait times.

Along with preventing crowded waiting rooms, digital check-in promotes better patient flow, which is associated with quality healthcare. Good patient flow reduces the pressure on provider staff, mitigates delays in treatment, and improves the overall efficiency of a practice.

Medical groups that offer digital check-in tools eliminate the need for physical patient intake tasks. A streamlined patient intake process benefits medical group practice staff by enabling them to focus on other mission-critical tasks. Other advantages of using digital patient check-in platforms included elevated patient engagement and satisfaction, enhanced coordination of care, improved HIPAA compliance, curtailed operational costs, and more reliable revenue.

As the Kyruus report indicates, 77% of consumers are extremely or very interested in completing pre-visit questionnaires online. That’s because it allows them to verify the accuracy of pre-registration materials — health insurance status, medical conditions, family history prescription list — and update them as necessary, eliminating the time-consuming and repetitive process of filling out forms.

Epion Digital Check-In enables patients to complete registration at their convenience and lets medical groups offer their patients a more personalized level of care. That means less time in the waiting room and a higher level of satisfaction. With the combination of Kyruus and Epion, you can offer your patients an online scheduling solution through which they can access a seamless self-service experience from start to finish.

Request information or schedule a meeting with our team to learn more!  Also, check out Kyruus’ guide to Successful Online Scheduling in 5 Steps.

Sources:

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama-health-forum/fullarticle/2802144

https://patientengagementhit.com/news/how-to-improve-communication-about-wait-times-patient-satisfaction

https://www.aafp.org/pubs/fpm/blogs/inpractice/entry/wait-times.html

https://www.mgma.com/data/data-stories/are-incivility-and-pandemic-denial-from-unruly-pat

https://www.mgma.com/mgma-stats/digital-check-in-can-boost-patient-satisfaction-and-practice-efficiency-amid-staffing-shortages

https://www.softwareadvice.com/resources/reducing-patient-wait-times/

https://cardiovascularbusiness.com/topics/patient-care/report-20-patients-have-changed-doctors-because-long-wait-times

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9914013/

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0894318419881981

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