Effective communication is important for both patients and providers to create a safe and positive patient experience. Follow these tips to ensure your practice is communicating well with patients.
6 Tips for Improving Patient Communication
Enhance the patient experience by following these tips:
1. Integrate your communication
Providers that communicate with patients using several methods benefit from integrating these channels into one communication system. Your staff can handle all communications from one patient engagement program and location to get in touch with patients faster.
2. Have a strong text outreach
SMS texts are an easy and effective way to reach patients. When providers reach out to a patient via text, the individual will likely read and respond to the message. Text outreach makes communication more efficient by using patients’ preferred platforms.
3. Make patient profiles easy to access
Patient profiles allow providers to see a patient’s health data, such as their name, birth date, family members, and due payments. Encourage your staff to use patient profiles by digitizing paper files. When patient profiles are easily accessible, providers can communicate with their patients to answer questions, collect bill payments, and schedule appointments.
4. Send reminders and confirmations via text
Use text messaging to confirm appointment times with patients and remind them of their appointments as they approach. Patients are likely to read the text right away and remember their appointment, reducing no-shows for your practice (Heath, 2018).
5. Make payment processing part of communication
Communicating with patients about their invoices and payments ensures providers will receive payment on time. For instance, Text-to-Pay in Practice Management Bridge® tells patients their balance due and lets them pay from their phone.
6. Upgrade to electronic forms
Electronic healthcare records (EHRs) communicate the patient’s medical history and needs to the provider. Providers can use electronic forms to keep accurate records for every patient, leading to better-quality care. These forms should be easily accessible to providers, yet private to respect patients’ privacy and follow industry standards.
Improve Patient Communication with Rectangle Health’s Practice Management Bridge
Practice Management Bridge® by Rectangle Health is a comprehensive patient communication solution. Providers can report, track, and manage patient data like payment information. Patient engagement software solutions help lead to higher patient satisfaction and revenue.
Learn more about the features of our Practice Management Bridge by schedule a demo today.
References
- Heath, S. (2018, October 15). How Text Message Communication Improves Patient Outreach. Patient Engagement Hit. https://patientengagementhit.com/news/how-text-message-communication-improves-patient-outreach
