In the News: Healthcare Business Today

There are many reasons healthcare IT executives are prioritizing automated solutions that can replace manual patient outreach for common communication workflows. Of importance are pressing issues related to staff burnout, soaring labor costs and rising expectations from consumers. All of these make digital engagement attractive to health system leaders with ambitious patient experience, revenue, and staffing goals.

Workflows that have historically been tedious and labor intensive can be quickly automated with the right technology, saving time and effort related to manual patient outreach and data entry. The process of picking up the phone to call, leaving a voicemail, finally scheduling, and then entering the appointment into the individual’s record is time-consuming and burdensome for staff members who are already burned out. However, patient engagement platforms that offer electronic health record (EHR) integration can not only fully automate this process, but can “close the loop” on common workflows like appointment scheduling.

A true closed-loop workflow means that following automated outreach from their healthcare organization or provider, patients can self-schedule directly from a SMS text message, and the EHR will automatically update with the individual’s appointment date and time. This completely eliminates the need for hands-on appointment management, and rapidly relieves employees who are feeling overtaxed. With less administrative busywork, staff are free to focus their attention where it matters most – on delivering patient care.

And, as an added benefit, digital engagement solutions actually enhance the patient experience because individuals are more likely to engage in their care journey when they receive the right communications at the right time, via their preferred channel (including SMS, voice, email, or live chat).

Many healthcare organizations are moving beyond outdated, labor-intensive, manual outreach processes in favor of streamlined approaches preferred by their staff members and patients alike.

To learn more, read the full article in Healthcare Business Today.