Staying connected to patients beyond the office visit

The growth of smartphone usage is giving physicians new ways to stay connected with patients and improve their care, and evidence shows that communication outside of the office setting is acceptable and can help improve outcomes.

 

Further reading: Is outsourcing the key to solving physician burnout?

 

Consider the following:

·      Nearly two-thirds of Americans owned smartphones in 2015, according to the Pew Research Center, and 62% of smartphone owners used their phone to look up information about a health condition.

·      A study from West Corp., a patient-engagement company, found that 66% of Americans have received a voicemail, text or email from their healthcare provider, with half of those who received a communication saying it made them feel more valued, a third saying the digital communication improved their opinion of the provider and a third saying it made them feel more likely to visit the provider again.

So why aren’t more physicians staying connected to their patients using this technology? Part of the problem is that doctors haven’t collected updated information as communication technology and patient preferences have shifted, says Chuck Hayes, vice president of product management at TeleVox Software, an automated voice and communications company focused on the healthcare field, that is owned by West.

 

Hot topic: 5 strategies to reduce malpractice lawsuit threats

 

“I see a lot of interest in new technology using email and texting, but the physicians only have landline numbers or don’t know which is a patient’s landline and which is the cell number,” says Hayes. “You have to capture that information and the patient preferences for what channel they want to be communicated on.”

With the right information, targeted communications can be used to improve care. For example, Louisiana-based Ochsner Health Systems saw that its patient population was near the bottom of the national average for colorectal screening. Ochsner implemented a program of automated phone notifications to encourage a group of more than 3,000 patients who were due for a colonoscopy or upper endoscopy to schedule a screening.

Internal server error