Patient communication has never been more important. It has also never been more complex and challenging.
The patient communication landscape continues to evolve, shaped by technological advancements, changing patient expectations and providers' aims for more efficient care delivery. Many tools now enable automated patient outreach. Yet even with these tools, it can be difficult to create an intelligent, coordinated flow of messages centered around a patient's specific needs or preferences.
Becker's Hospital Review spoke with Stephen David, vice president of patient intake and communications at RevSpring, to learn more about these trends and opportunities. He shared his thoughts on the importance of using a comprehensive patient communication platform that connects the dots throughout the entire patient journey, builds trust and drives patient action.
RevSpring's Talksoft® Patient Engagement Messaging Suite was recently rated No. 1 for patient communications in the "2024 Best in KLAS®: Software & Services" report.
Question: How can patient communication build trust between providers and patients? What outcomes do you see when patients trust the communications they receive?
Stephen David: Establishing trust is really important for effective patient communication. A key way to build trust is through clear and concise messaging that addresses what the patient needs and that conforms to the patient's preferences. Two ways to lose trust are by communicating excessively and being non-responsive.
For many patients, text messages are an increasingly preferred mode of communication. Putting contextual information in the text message is a way to signal to patients that it's from a trusted source. Minimizing the quantity of phone numbers that text messages originate from can also reduce confusion.
When patients trust provider communications, they are more likely to adhere to treatment plans, attend scheduled appointments and participate in proactive health management.
Q: How can healthcare providers balance the efficiency gains produced by digital tools with the need to maintain a personal connection with patients?
SD: I think it comes down to taking a patient-centric approach to communications. What that means is thinking about which administrative tasks can be streamlined through automated processes. There may be things that a patient would prefer to do on their own, but providers can still give them tools to get help if they need it.
For example, we've had clients recently implement a mechanism within their digital intake process so patients can signal to the patient access team when they need help.
We're also seeing capabilities emerge where you can differentiate between responses to texts sent by patients. Some responses can be handled by an automated system, while others warrant a human interaction.
Q: When people think of patient communications, they often think of appointment reminders. What other communication types can add significant value for patients and healthcare organizations?
SD: An important area of patient communication is preventative communications for things like screenings, follow-up care or vaccinations. These preventive steps can contribute greatly to positive health outcomes for patients. Healthcare organizations can proactively set up various communication campaigns to address those needs.
We also see a lot of positive value from surveys. Short, fast, one-question surveys sent to patients via text message often generate very high response rates. Patients frequently send insightful comments that are useful to the survey sponsor.
A trend we are seeing is an increase in real-time texting and chat support. Use cases include enabling patients to send texts in response to automated appointment reminders or to send questions to the office via text.
Q: What trends do you see shaping the future of patient communication over the next few years?
SD: We believe a key trend that continues to shape patient communications is self-service. We are finding that patients want to be able to help themselves when it comes to communicating with healthcare providers. This includes scheduling and changing appointments, paying copayments, bills, and viewing estimated costs.
Integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning is another trend on the horizon. For example, we can use those technologies to automate routine support interactions. We can also use them to decipher unstructured patient communications, such as text messages or chats from support sessions. Based on that analysis, it's possible to identify trends and make interactions more efficient for both parties.
A third area is accommodating patient preferences, such as how patients prefer to receive communications. By using and looking at predictive analytics, organizations can identify which types of communication content and communication channels are most effective. Those analytics can help drive the communication and health outcomes that healthcare organizations are seeking.
Giving patients the tools to support self-service is a trend that will continue.