Communication through text or email can be more beneficial than calling or talking face to face, especially when it comes to doctor’s offices and important information. However, the flood of spam and scam texts and emails has drastically changed the landscape from beneficial to challenging. Trust is decreasing between the patient and the provider, with around 71% of patients receiving more texts from unknown numbers, many of those suspicious. This results in 87% of patients being hesitant to open messages from unfamiliar senders right away, leading to missed healthcare information and even more confusion. Keep reading to learn more about the problem and what new ways doctors are reaching patients with.
The missed communication is not the only consequence of the breach of trust. Many patients will also feel less inclined to respond to appointment reminders, follow care instructions, or maintain engagement with their providers. For administrators and IT managers, this lack of trust quickly turns into poorer health outcomes and financial losses.
New Ways to Reach Patients
To try and fix the problem, doctors are reaching patients in a new way through branded messaging. This helps the patient recognize healthcare logos and long-code phone numbers in health communications, feeling safer than responding to anonymous short codes. Artera has found that 89% of patients are more likely to reply to messages with clear sender information, and replies increase by 79% when local numbers are used. This small amount of transparency has changed the game for medical providers amidst the growing span and scam problems.
Beyond being more recognizable, the new ways doctors are reaching patients include conversational and personalized features to make the patient feel even more comfortable. While traditional reminders often have you press a number or filter through generic texts, new AI-powered systems allow for two-way natural language interactions through over 100 languages, helping answer questions and update medical records in a pinch. This not only minimizes errors when it comes to paperwork or scheduling but also keeps patients happy and loyal to their providers for longer.
Secure communication is the most important piece of all, since health information must comply with HIPAA regulations to protect the patient’s privacy. Medical platforms will use a blend of messages, with routine appointments sent through regular SMS, but detailed health information only accessible through encrypted portals. These portals, often using end-to-end encryption, safe links, and read receipts, can all help increase patient confidence.
The impact of how doctors are reaching patients is visible in healthcare outcomes and efficiency. Several hospitals and healthcare companies have seen a huge jump in patient response, reduced no-shows, and completion rates of visits, all resulting in jumps in income. These results continue to show how impactful effective and efficient communication can be, especially when it deals with preventive care and chronic disease management.
Using AI in Healthcare
Adding in AI-backed software and automation continues to transform front-office functions. For instance, many AI-driven platforms can deal with routine calls, schedule appointments, triage FAQs, and send reminders about appointments. This can also translate to lower patient wait times and even personalized messaging from AI platforms that still fall under HIPAA laws.
Being able to provide medical information multilingually is also increasingly important as the United States continues to expand its diversity. AI systems have been helpful with this, automatically adapting messages to the patient’s preferred language to bridge gaps and get everyone the proper care they need.
The Power of Text
Today, the main method of communication for healthcare providers and their patients is text messaging. Nearly 100% of text messages concerning a person’s health are opened, which is a significantly higher engagement compared to email or patient portal responses. Plus, text messages can help with appointment reminders, often dropping the no-show rates to around 5%.
Seeing the data from all these new ways doctors are reaching patients, from branded messages to two-way conversational replies, and even AI workflow automation, the healthcare industry is thriving. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that people are getting the care they need without needing to worry about spam or scams.
The Result of a New Strategy
The U.S. healthcare reminder market’s growth is expected to be over $128.5 million by 2028, and over 10% expansion. It just goes to prove how impactful personalized, digital-first communication strategies are. As patients want transparent and secure interactions, healthcare providers must find ways to build trust with their clients and keep them for years to come.
In conclusion, the future of effective patient communication centers on trusted branding, secure technology, and AI-powered personalization. This not only addresses the problem of scams and spam messages but also creates a strong patient-provider relationship, better clinical outcomes, and better healthcare delivery.