Small changes to practice workflows have been shown to affect overall organizational efficiency. The goal of a recent study was to support the Quadruple Aim of reducing costs while improving population health, patient satisfaction and the well-being of medical practice staff. By reducing administrative burdens, an intervention group could offer 48% more patient appointment slots than the control group.
Patient interactions must remain the focus of any practice contemplating workflow changes. At many practices, it’s already impossible to speak with a live person after negotiating a phone tree or sending an email through the patient portal. It’s imperative that any communications platform place patients front and center, with easy, secure and HIPAA-compliant interactions that don’t require the patient to download another mobile app.
Patient reminder calls waste staff time to make them and patient time to listen to them, return the call and/or ignore them. Instead, consider a personalized text message from the provider’s main phone line confirming the appointment. Studies show that 99% of text messages are opened — 97% within 15 minutes. The patient can quickly confirm the appointment or access the provider’s schedule to pick another time.