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The doctor will text you now: How SMS messaging improves the healthcare experience

June 9, 2022

Telesign Team
A woman using a tablet in her household.

When patients make appointments with their healthcare providers, they often encounter this typical scenario: Calling to make an appointment; completing a patient profile upon arrival-including insurance information and health history; and often answering the same questions spread across multiple platforms, including phone conversations, electronic questionnaires, and hard copy forms.

The process can be tiresome, especially for someone who’s not feeling well. Today, patients prefer to engage with their provider the way they connect with friends, family, and other businesses: Simply and securely through SMS messaging.

Healthcare, then and now

Much has been discussed over the past few decades on how to move healthcare into the modern age, from electronic health records (EHR) to automated procedures and virtual medical exams.

As quickly as technology and the field of medicine have advanced, the overall healthcare experience seems stuck in the past. Patient data privacy issues are often cited as the reason for the lag in technology adoption, but in the age of digital banking and other high-value, sensitive transactions, that argument is less persuasive than it used to be for your increasingly savvy patients.

The communication gap between healthcare providers and patients has proven to be quite a challenge. As the digital transformation of healthcare continues to accelerate, the prioritization of a personalized, yet secure, patient experience has risen to the top of the list.

Demand for a better healthcare experience is rapidly increasing. Compared to the pre-COVID-19 baseline, telehealth usage in the United States has increased 38x, and 8 out of 10 patients expect to continue using telemedicine after the pandemic resolves.

The patient and provider experience

Gone are the days when patient correspondence was limited to postal mail and telephone communications. Today, patients want to access their medical appointments, test results, and other health data quicky, conveniently, and in the palm of their hands.

Patients prefer to digitally engage with their healthcare provider, and the evidence is clear: Enhancing communication between healthcare providers and their patients is powerful, and secure messaging is mutually beneficial for both parties.

From the provider’s point of view, healthcare experiences are also more convenient and lead to greater efficiency and financial returns. Studies show SMS reminders result in fewer no-shows, higher revenues, and better patient compliance.

Ultimately, patients want simplicity. They want to communicate with their healthcare provider as they do with everyone else-through SMS and messaging apps.

Eliminate risks with Telesign for healthcare

Healthcare providers face potential losses without a successful engagement system in place. Missed appointments cost the U.S. healthcare system $150B annually, while no-shows and cancellations cost the average provider approximately $200 per time slot.

In the U.S. healthcare system, forgetfulness isn’t cheap. Now is the time to take the necessary action to prevent the loss of billions of dollars and thousands of hours due to missed appointments every year and deliver healthcare experiences patients can trust through Telesign’s healthcare engagement solution.

Our developer-friendly messaging APIs enable impactful SMS alerts, reminders, and notifications that result in fewer no-shows, higher revenues, and better patient outcomes.

Using a combination of digital identity and risk-based assessments to power secure communication, Telesign helps U.S. healthcare providers implement a smart and secure engagement strategy:

  • Manage appointments with ease: Simplify operations and deliver a personalized experience for your patients. Save time and money by reducing no-shows and allowing patients to confirm, reschedule, or cancel appointments via text and voice reminders.
  • Communicate confidently and confidentially: Telesign is HIPAA compliant, offering services to help keep your communications safe and secure. Verify patient identity and validate mobile number deactivation status before transmitting protected health information (PHI).
  • Safeguard electronic medical records: Maintain the security and integrity of your patients’ EMRs by deploying a multi-layer defense to dynamically assess the risk, verify identity, and authenticate every interaction.

For more information about creating better healthcare experiences for everyone, chat with us today.