Patient Experience Week: Are You Delivering a Top-Tier Patient Experience?

This week (April 27-May 1) is Patient Experience week, spearheaded by the Beryl Institute. Patient Experience Week is the perfect time to honor the people who contribute to top-quality patient experiences and to discuss strategies to keep that experience as positive as ever, despite the tumultuous times we find ourselves in. 

Leveraging innovative technology can help maintain the patient-provider relationship and help patients adapt to today’s new normal.  Here are three strategies for upping the ante on the increasingly important patient experience:

The data is clear: patients want to receive text messages. In fact, patients respond to their providers at far higher rates via text than via email or phone. In our infographic, “Why Patients Love Text,” we found that seven out of ten patients want to be able to text their providers, and that patient satisfaction soars when providers implement texting capabilities at their practice. This doesn’t just apply to young millennial patients, either; we took a look at our data and found that patients from every age group, including the 55-64 and 65-74 demographics, were responding to text messages at a high rate.

Given the consistency in this data, we’re confident that implementing SMS messaging systems for appointment reminders, patient scheduling, and intake processes, and post-appointment feedback requests boosts the patient experience. Text messaging is the best way to reach every patient conveniently and efficiently.

COVID-19 has forged 10 years of innovation in just two months. When in-person visits weren’t possible, healthcare providers raced to adopt telehealth solutions to continue delivering care to patients. As clinics return to the new normal, telehealth is here to stay.

To ensure a positive patient experience, the telehealth solution shouldn’t place a burden on patients. Our patient-centric telehealth platform ensures that any patient with a laptop or smartphone can see their provider without stress or confusion: we text patients a link to schedule their appointment, automatically send out reminders prior to the televisit, and once it’s time for the visit, patients click one link and are taken straight to the virtual visit room. They don’t need to log into a portal, download an app, or anything else that makes the experience less convenient.

Our platform is also low-stress for staff. We designed it to be as simple and intuitive as possible, with little set-up and implementation required. Lessening the burden placed on front-office healthcare administrators during this time is key for freeing them up to focus on what matters most: delivering the top-quality experience that your patients are accustomed to.

Interested in learning more about our platform? We recently held a webinar, “Telehealth Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: What You Need to Know,” where we discussed important considerations for introducing a new telehealth platform to clinics and showed the way ours works. Access the recording and slides here to learn about all things telehealth.

Especially amidst the chaos of COVID-19, being agile and flexible is crucial for healthcare clinics. Every clinic, and every patient population, is different: there’s no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to the patient experience. That means that listening to your patients’ unique needs and taking those into account as you adapt to the changing healthcare climate is absolutely essential. Doing so requires a patient-provider relationship rooted in mutual trust and understanding — we can help you get there.

Learn more about our platform, and the ways in which we help you deliver a first-rate patient experience, here. Thank you to every single healthcare provider and professional working to ensure that patients continue to receive the care they deserve. Please stay safe and healthy, and remember that we are always here to help.