How to Implement HIPAA-Compliant Texting & Boost Patient Engagement
Communication norms are constantly shifting, and patient communications are no exception. In the health tech space, that’s led to the emergence of a variety of practice management software features ranging from telemedicine platforms to patient communication services.
In our webinar with Podium’s director of healthcare strategy, Marcello Gasperini, we examined how patient engagement is changing, how to utilize secure messaging to improve your communication strategy, and more. We’ll cover the highlights in this blog, but we definitely encourage you to check out the full webinar for a complete picture.
Why It’s Critical to Adopt Text Messaging in Your Practice
On a macro level, messaging and other digital interactions have become the preferred method to communicate information quickly. Many people use their smartphones as anything but a phone, and that isn’t changing any time soon. As long as it’s HIPAA- compliant, texting in particular-compared to other forms of messaging via apps or patient portals- is extremely effective in that the barrier to access a message is very low.
“97% of American adults are texting on a weekly basis, and that is encompassing all age groups,” said Gasperini.
“71% of patients actually have a preference to digitally schedule healthcare services, look at their health records online and receive reminders, specifically via text. Likewise, 70% of patients really want to choose a provider that has the ability to follow up via text.”
The goal when you implement these digital tools is to build an experience that makes it easier for your patients to engage with you. Convenience is king in consumer relations. Patients want less intrusive interactions that take less time, and they certainly do not want to be stuck playing phone tag with your office.
“Look at texting as a communication medium. You have a 99% open rate for text messages, and the other powerful part about texting is that 90% of them are read within three minutes. So it absolutely complements the instant economy,” Gasperini notes.
Not only does texting improve your patient experience, but it will massively streamline the workload in your office dedicated to patient outreach. For example, Podium users save on average 5 hours per week by moving aspects of their patient communications over to messaging instead of phone calls and email.
How to Implement HIPAA-Compliant Texting into Your Patient Engagement Practices
The COVID-19 pandemic has blown the doors wide open on new means of interacting with patients, but there are still standards to abide by. First and foremost, your messaging platform must be HIPAA compliant, so look for certifications like HITRUST to guide your search.
“If you’re still scheduling by phone call, that is an opportunity where you can accelerate the process and create something that the patient is craving. A great way to do this is enabling your landline to text,” said Gasperini.
No one likes waiting on hold, especially if they only have a quick question or small task. Enabling texting alleviates this pain point by sending messages to patients letting them know they will receive a call back shortly once your staff is available, or even answering those quick questions via text when possible.
In general, it’s best to keep texts conversational, respectful and helpful. Like any other form of communication, texting works best when it reads like there’s a person on the other end. Once you have a textable number, make sure to publish it everywhere, as you would with an office email or phone number.
Finally, much like you would bundle features into your EHR like medical billing and telemedicine, you should consider consolidating your interactions with patients onto one platform. One obvious reason for this is that messaging patients on a personal device can be a HIPAA violation. However, using one platform also makes it easier to get back to people messaging you from a variety of places, as well as allowing you to develop a more cohesive messaging voice and strategy.
5 Tips to Use Texting to Improve the Patient Experience
Appointment reminders, rescheduling and recall
Texting appointment reminders can reduce your no-show rate. It’s also a great way to save your staff time on rescheduling appointments. Simple automated communications like this can have a positive impact on your bottom line.
Build trust and confidence
Send your patients links to the review sites they already use to increase the quantity of reviews for your practice. 93% of consumers say online reviews impact their purchase decisions, so using texting to manage your reputation can set your practice up for greater success.
Turn webchat into text conversations
Webchat can be a useful pathway to converting more patients, and it’s even more powerful when you can move those conversations over to text. Then you can become a saved contact in their phone, making it even easier to communicate and build trust on an individual basis.
Send texts to get paid
You can even use texting to securely collect payments from patients! Patient engagement platforms can make collections that much easier for your practice.
“When one of our customers sends a text to collect the payment, they get a payment or a payment plan in four days on average. That spans all AR buckets,” said Gasperini.
Re-engage
Texting is great for boosting not just communication re-engagement but also treatment adherence.
“Imagine being inside the advanced reporting tools inside of DrChrono. If you want to pull up your diabetic patients that have not seen you for the past four months that might be due for an A1C. You can then build a campaign around re-engaging those patients and manage a cadence to communicate for the ultimate patient engagement,” said Gasperini.
Texting and messaging are already ubiquitous in your patients’ lives. By adopting it as a strategic tool and optimizing it through platforms like Podium that integrate with your EHR software, you’ll save time, build trust with your patients, and even make your money faster.