Written by Sarah Lim, CA Lic# 0M52397
Improving Patient Communication Will Lead To Better Outcomes
Technology has made an incredible impact on healthcare with breakthroughs that include 3D printing of medical devices or even biological materials, robotic-assisted surgeries, remote health tracking, and more. However, a critical but often neglected use of technology in healthcare is in communication. Traditional ways of communicating can often create communication gaps that ultimately hurt outcomes. There are so many small gaps that when they add up, they can potentially hinder your practice from running efficiently.
Rising costs that include malpractice deductibles and premiums, as well as increased competition and falling reimbursement levels, are creating a need for doctors’ offices to schedule as many appointments as possible in a single day. Consider the following statistics:
· On average, a physician will see around 21 patients in a single day;
· This leaves 10-15 minutes for the patient to see the doctor;
· Patients only have about 11 seconds to explain the reason for their visit before the doctor has to interrupt to keep the appointment going as quickly as possible.
Many gaps in patient communication result from not having enough time during the patient’s visit to fully understand the diagnosis or treatment plan. This rushed experience can ultimately lead to poor outcomes and patient dissatisfaction.
These patient communication gaps can be filled by using current cutting-edge technology such as chatbots. Virtual chatbots use artificial intelligence to answer some of the most common questions patients have. If the issue is unable to be explained by the bot, the patient’s question will then be forwarded to the doctor’s office to be answered by medical personnel or the doctor himself. These chatbots can be sophisticated enough that the majority of patients will not know they are chatting with artificial intelligence.
Text messaging is another high technology that can be used to communicate with patients. It is common for practices to send out appointment reminders via text, but it is much less common to use version messaging to talk back and forth with patients. Text messaging is so convenient and easily accessible that any patient would have the ability to converse with their doctors. The best part is that the advancement of technology has made it possible for these conversations to be compliant with regulations such as HIPAA.
Another way to boost communication with patients is by using automated outreach between visits. Newsletters can be personalized and scheduled to be sent automatically to patients. Social media posts can now be scheduled as far in advance as you would like. These “touchpoints” can be reminders of the kinds of things patients can be doing to improve their health.
As important as patient communication is, let’s not forget gaps in internal communication. Poor communication among practicing staff can be just as detrimental as poor patient communication. Poor internal communication can result in inefficiencies and mistakes. Nowadays, technology has made intra-office conversations much more comfortable by using things like custom chat rooms, direct messaging, photo sharing, and more. There is no need to track down a coworker anymore. A simple message can be sent requesting a response. These technological platforms can help staff members share their expertise with each other easily and efficiently, thus reducing the number of mistakes that miscommunication would otherwise create.
