Healthcare Industry

How to Improve Patient Engagement Strategies with SMS and Voice Messaging

Patient engagement is pivotal to driving quality healthcare. As per Bain & Company, patient engagement is rising higher on the list of priorities for US healthcare providers. In fact, McKinsey also claims that tech-enabled patient engagement strategies can help improve patient outcomes.

Needless to say, investing in a healthcare engagement technology is a sound investment—one that keeps your patients engaged and your profits in line. However, as is the case with any technological tool, using a patient engagement platform is not one without challenges. Let’s explore more.

4 Key Challenges of Driving Patient Engagement Strategies (+ Realistic Solutions)

Challenge #1: Driving Data Security

Protecting patient data is not just a priority; it’s a legal and ethical obligation that healthcare institutions must fulfill at all costs. Not only do data breaches erode patient trust in the organization, but they can also cost healthcare institutions dearlyUSD 10.10 million, to be exact.

Solution: Invest in a patient engagement platform (PEP) to improve data security:

  • Strong encryption: The platform will ensure all patient data is encrypted at all times.
  • User authentication: With the tool, you can implement robust user authentication and access controls.
  • Regular updates: The tool will help you to conduct security audits and keep the PEP software up to date.
  • Consent management: You can easily integrate consent features for patients.
  • Patient education: You can use the PEP tool to educate patients about how and why their data is being used (and secured).

Given how protecting patient data is essential, organizations must invest in HIPAA-compliant solutions. Adherence to HIPPA has many benefits for patients and healthcare institutions, such as:

  • Giving patients more control over their health information, including accessing copies of records and making changes
  • Setting boundaries on how companies can use and disclose health records
  • Implementing safeguards to secure protected health information (PHI) from unauthorized access

Challenge #2: Getting Patient Buy-In

Convincing patients to actively engage in their healthcare can be a tough nut to crack. Many are hesitant or even unaware of the benefits–a missed opportunity.

According to research, patient engagement can improve:

  • Treatment outcomes
  • Patient satisfaction and health
  • Healthcare service provider’s productivity

WHO further claims that health literacy “can be more important than health care or lifestyle choices in influencing health.”

The primary causes of poor patient buy-in are often attributed to low levels of healthcare literacy and lack of access to accurate customer data on the go.

Patient Experience Improvement Strategies Using Patient Communication Tools:

Driving real-time, value-based communication can help organizations to keep patients informed–and involved–of their health status.  Here’s how:

  • Increase patient communication: Healthcare providers must use communication tools such as apps, text messages, voice messages, and more to:
    • Provide a centralized portal to the patient with all their health records properly documented.
    • Empower patients to make an appointment with a doctor/hospital of their choice.
    • Share useful resources, links, and information about the patient’s appointment, as Practo demonstrates below:
    • Send timely alerts and reminders for appointments, tests, and more.
    • Connect with patients frequently and build a lasting relationship that continues long after the patient has recovered.

Challenge #3: Keeping the Content Relevant

Bombarding patients with irrelevant information is another red flag that can lead to patient disengagement and frustration for obvious reasons.

Tips for Patient Satisfaction Improvements:

  • Personalize messages using patient data: Leverage electronic health records (EHRs) and patient profiles to customize the message content. As a thumb rule, address patients by their name and mention specific medications or conditions that are relevant to their history. You should also seek out experts to create factually accurate and verified information that is useful for your patients to engage them better.
  • Segment your audience: Divide your patients into groups based on conditions, demographics, or preferences as the situation demands. With this invaluable data, you can create in-depth patient personas like the one shown below and target patients with the right message at the right time:

The idea is to tailor your messages to each segment for maximum relevance, conversion, and reach.

  • Gather patient feedback: You want to capture your patient’s voice at strategic milestones of their healthcare journey with you. This is where an automated healthcare communication tool can make your life easier by rolling out surveys/polls via SMS.

Challenge #4: Handling Opt-In or Opt-Out Requests

Nothing annoys patients more than the complex process of opting in to receive messages. Whether you’re sending a voice message or SMS, make sure that your patients can opt-in and opt-out at their own convenience.

Remember, patients want greater control over their communication preferences. So, put them in the driver’s seat and give them this flexibility.

How to Use Healthcare Engagement Technology & Respect Your Patient’s Wishes:

  • Clearly explain how to opt-in or opt-out: Include a simple and clear process for opting in or out of every message. You want patients who want to engage with your communication; forcing them will only push them away.
  • Respect the patient’s choice: Honor opt-out requests promptly and efficiently–this is an absolute must. Doing so demonstrates respect for the patient’s preferences and builds goodwill among your patients.
  • Learn from the opt-out data: Your opt-out data is truly a gold mine to identify what’s working for your patients and what’s not in terms of service, communication, and so on. Use this treasure trove of data to refine your marketing strategies and reduce opt-out rates organically.

Overcome Patient Engagement Challenges with Robust Patient Communication Tools

An overwhelming 80% of healthcare executives are accelerating their spending on IT and software. Plus, with the evolution of AI, 50% of health system respondents are actively developing a generative artificial intelligence (AI) strategy.

Denying the critical role of healthcare patient engagement software is neither sound nor logical in any sense of the term. With the right patient engagement platform in your hands, you can deliver a hyper-personalized and world-class service to your patients and build a lasting relationship.

Connect with us to understand how JustCall’s SMS and Voice messaging capabilities can advance your patient engagement efforts, one tool at a time. 

Saya Augustin serves as the Associate Director of Marketing at SaaS Labs, bringing over a decade of expertise in diverse marketing disciplines. Her career encompasses successful Go-to-Market launches, Customer Engagement strategies, Account-Based Marketing, Demand Generation, and streamlined Marketing Operations. Shaped by the fast-paced and innovative environment of start-ups, Saya has honed her skills through practical experience with cutting-edge marketing technologies and platforms.

How useful was this post?

0/5

-

( 0 votes)