Sparta (Ill.) Community Hospital cut its no-show rate by 6% by combining the electronic health record with the communications system to deliver medical reminders and information directly to patients, according to an article on the American Hospital Association website.
Research published in the National Library of Medicine showed critical access hospitals lag behind other hospitals with regards to technology, especially in the use of patient engagement features.
Sparta Community Hospital used to have an average no-show rate of nearly 15%, about 25% higher than average for hospitals. The facility implemented a one-way messaging platform that combined with the EHR to send automated appointment reminders, streamlined appointments by gathering health, insurance, identification and payment information ahead of time, and provided language services such as translation before appointments.
After implementing the changes, the no-show rate at the hospital dropped from 15% to 9%. Sparta Community also saw a 50% reduction in administrative burden on clinical staff due to the automatic collection of information before the appointment.