HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY OVERVIEW

The healthcare industry has become increasingly overwhelmed as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. More than ever, patients understand and appreciate the critical role healthcare workers play in helping the public navigate the demands of the pandemic while still addressing care for critical and chronic conditions. The healthcare sector has begun to reimagine ways of communicating, including contactless methods that let staff reach large numbers of patients in with minimum effort. SMS texting is the perfect solution – especially with HIPAA compliant text messaging. 

COMMUNICATION IS CRITICAL

Texting private patient information is allowed by HIPAA so long as the service provider warns the patient that the risk of unauthorized disclosure is a possibility and has obtained the patient’s consent. Both the warning and the consent authorization must be documented by the provider. With these two steps accomplished, the possibilities of SMS texting for patients is endless. SMS has the potential to increase patient engagement, compliance, and satisfaction. Here are a few ways healthcare providers can use SMS Texting to communicate with patients.

PUBLIC HEALTH INFORMATION

Send important statistics, facts, and helpful information to patients regarding COVID-19 or other public health emergencies. Especially in the modern era where there is misleading information circulating everywhere, it is crucial to get the right information to the people you are caring for. Include multimedia messages like pictures or videos to make your message more engaging and improve understanding.

CRITICAL HEALTH ALERTS

Simplify your operations. Nurses, doctors, and other health practitioners are constantly bombarded with information. SMS texting can make communication easier by allowing human resources and facilities-related updates to be sent via text. And during busy periods, patients can avoid lengthy wait times by sending appointment requests and receiving one-on-one confirmations or responses from staff, right in their text messaging app.

NEXT STEPS REMINDERS

SMS texting also opens up communication with not just patients, but also family members and other staff members that need to know information regarding the patient. Be aware that patient health information (PHI) is protected under HIPAA. But generic prescription refill reminders, appointment reminders, and billing updates may be able to be sent to patients or their representatives to ensure patient compliance.

SYSTEMS AUTOMATION

Finally, SMS texting can allow the healthcare industry to work smart rather than wasting time in tasks that are time-consuming, repetitive, and tedious. There is nothing more frustrating for healthcare workers than answering repetitive questions and making patient appointment calls. Hospitals and healthcare clinics can set up one-time automations and work flows that essentially auto send messages when a predefined criteria is triggered.

STILL HAVE QUESTIONS?

Follow the practices above to improve client engagement and watch satisfaction rates soar! And check out our other articles for more advice on specific industries and use cases.