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![]() The patient journey offers many opportunities to enroll patients in text reminders, and as the patient journey grows increasingly digital this task can be automated and worked into strategies like online scheduling and electronic registration as well. When to Get Patients Enrolled for Text Message Appointment Reminders In the United States, where 99.7% of the population lives in areas covered by 4G LTE, text messaging is the preferred form of communication for consumers and patients young, old, wealthy, poor, urban, rural, and across countless other demographic and geographic variables. The use of text messaging spans populations across the earth, in places where cable and television aren’t available people still communicate via mobile devices. As the crisis phase of COVID-19 resolved and medical practices opened back up, reminder texts were used to welcome patients back to the office, educate them about what to expect, and reassure them that telemedicine was still available to those who needed or preferred it. Providers and their staff needed to quickly communicate to large groups of patients how and when to arrive for an appointment, whether or not a support person was allowed to accompany a patient, whether or not a face covering or mask was required, how to access Telehealth appointments, and more. When used correctly, text reminders can convey tone and personalization that first-generation solutions, like using automated voice calls alone, can’t deliver. Text messages were used across the country COVID-19 by medical providers seeking to keep patients updated and informed as processes and procedures changed almost daily. And it isn’t just viewing a text message that’s quick, patients can quickly respond to a text reminder as well, increasing the likelihood that a patient will follow-thru with their scheduled appointment or notify the medical office if something has changed. Text reminders offer patients both privacy and convenience-they can quickly view a message from their phone without interrupting a current conversation or excusing themselves to take a phone call. And because patients rarely answer phone calls anymore, text reminders are even more important for getting a patient’s attention and yielding a response. For healthcare leaders looking to find the best strategies to reduce patient no-shows, this means text reminders offer the greatest chance of being seen. ![]() The average American checks his or her phone 96 times per day, that’s a 20% increase from statistics gathered two years ago. So why text over any other communication method? Text messages get seen In this article, we’ll take a look at why this is and how patient-centered engagement, namely text reminders, can deliver higher ROI and long-term, sustainable results. While there’s been measurable improvement in organizations that have implemented automated appointment reminders, many are still dealing with frustrations related to patient no-shows and are compensating with resource-intensive processes that are manual, unscalable, and fail to deliver the desired results. ![]() While these strategies were initially helpful, they weren’t sustainable and often fell to the wayside during busy seasons or when staffing was low.Īutomated appointment reminders showed up on the scene years ago, promising to solve the no-show dilemma and create better efficiency for medical offices. Healthcare leaders have been working to reduce patient no-show rates across their organizations for years, starting with manual processes like patient phone calls and reminder letters. Why Use a Text Appointment Reminder Service These simple tasks have been shown to help hospitals, health systems, and large medical groups reduce patient no-show rates, reclaim lost revenue, drive better patient adherence to follow-up and preventive care, and result in healthier outcomes and higher patient satisfaction. Text appointment reminders offer healthcare organizations an effective, scalable strategy to reduce patient no-shows and reach patients of all demographics and geographic locations with information to help patients remember their appointments, confirm their plans to attend, cancel, or request to reschedule. ![]()
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