The Most Sought-After Patient Engagement Solutions

The need for patient engagement solutions

Modern life is already extremely busy and complicated. Patients today deserve healthcare that makes their life easier, not more difficult. This isn’t the case. Healthcare is still one of the most convoluted industries confusing both patients and providers. Patients often need an extra helping hand navigating the medical world. If healthcare organizations want to provide their patients with the best care, they should pivot towards providing more patient-centered care.

Healthcare organizations have now realized the importance of engaging in patient-centered care. One of the fundamentals of patient-centered care is to utilize patient engagement solutions. Patient engagement involves encouraging patients to be active participants in their own healthcare. It combines a patient’s willingness to manage their own care with outreach methods designed to promote positive health behaviors.

Patients are no longer passive when it comes to their healthcare; they demand transparency, convenience, and access to medical health records. People want to be engaged in their medical care; those involved in their care tend to be healthier. Active patient participation in decision-making, care management, and self-care is associated with better health outcomes, including fewer readmissions, fewer emergency room visits, reduction in length of stay, and lower hospital charges.

Most people are too wrapped up in the ins-and-outs of daily life to remember preventative healthcare measures. That is why healthcare organizations need to implement patient engagement solutions. People today have grown accustomed to companies engaging with them every day, reactivating their patronage. Below we discuss the most wanted patient engagement solutions.

Patient scheduling software

There are multiple scheduling apps available worldwide. People can make an appointment for a number of services from their smartphone or tablet. Medical appointments should be no different. Sixty-eight percent of patients say they are likely to choose medical providers that offer the ability to schedule and manage appointments online. Patient scheduling software is a quick and convenient way for patients to book medical appointments. It allows patients to book appointments whenever regardless of healthcare practice’s operating hours.

Synchronized patient self-scheduling software reduces the time it takes to receive an appointment because patients can book recently vacated time slots from a healthcare practitioner’s schedule. Healthcare practice staff is not required to help facilitate the scheduling process, therefore, freeing the practice team to help patients within the healthcare organization, increasing patient satisfaction, and reducing wait times.

HIPAA compliant messaging

It’s commonplace for businesses nowadays to provide customers with a means to chat with a representative. More than five million businesses are using WhatsApp Business to connect with their customers personally.

With healthcare being such a personal matter and important to individuals, it’s no wonder why sixty percent of patients expect healthcare providers to communicate about routine healthcare by texting patients or participating in online chats between appointments. HIPAA compliant messaging allows for safe and timely communication between patients and healthcare providers. Patients can contact their healthcare providers for many reasons, including asking questions about their care or condition, reporting on their progress, enquiring about their account, and requesting prescription refills.

Providers can message their patients regarding appointments and medication reminders or lab results. Patients can receive provider communication in real-time on any mobile device as an email, SMS, in-portal message, or push notification, furthering the patient’s convenience.

Access to secure patient-provider messaging not only boosts patient convenience but is also associated with decreased rates of primary care office visits and phone calls. It has also been shown to have a positive impact on patient treatment and medication compliance.

Patient check-in software

Once a person is in the habit of checking themselves in at the airport, cinema, and hotels, the next logical step is the healthcare practice. Patient check-in software helps patients to remotely complete the check-in process on any device with a web browser.

Patients can complete new registration forms, medical history documents, consent forms, and financial information documentation before their appointment. Some forms can be pre-populated by the medical practices source system, decreasing the time wasted filling out these forms in the waiting room.

Patient check-in software can inform patients of what their medical insurance provider will cover and what their co-pay may be, preventing any nasty surprises. Now more than ever, it is imperative to clear out the waiting room and promote social distancing.

With a patient check-in solution, healthcare organizations can provide their patients with a safe and seamless experience. Staff members should educate patients still found loitering around in the waiting room about the self-check-in solution’s simplicity.

Consolidated patient engagement platforms

Patients want the same functionality from healthcare that they have grown accustomed to from other industries. They expect a seamless digital healthcare experience that’s similar to the ease and comfort of the mobile apps they use every day. A single entry point to access multiple patient engagement features, including appointment scheduling, provider messaging, and self-check-in. In order to provide such an experience, healthcare organizations must forgo piecemealed patient engagement platforms and offer a consolidated patient-centric digital experience.

A consolidated patient engagement platform should include the following patient engagement features:

  • Patient scheduling software
  • HIPAA compliant messaging
  • Patient check-in software

A consolidated patient engagement platform prioritizes the most important aspect of healthcare, the patient, who no longer have the time or patience to leverage multiple solutions to access all the functionality a healthcare provider has to offer. Healthcare organizations that force their patient population to remember numerous logins and use disparate patient engagement platforms may notice a decline in patients in the near future.

Patients are now more than ever educated about the solutions available in the healthcare market and will seek out healthcare professionals that provide them with the digital capabilities they want. Nighty percent of patients no longer feel compelled to remain with a healthcare provider that doesn’t deliver a comprehensive digital experience. It’s vital that healthcare organizations provide their patients with a consolidated patient engagement platform. Failure to do so may result in companies falling behind their competitors. Patients will seek alternative providers if their patient engagement needs aren’t being met.

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