How Digital Health is Opening Up Communication Between Doctors & Patients
Nothing is more important between a doctor and a patient than communication. The more you communicate, the healthier people get and the more knowledgeable doctors become. Without open lines of communication, important details can be missed, patients might put off appointments for too long and trust can’t be built.
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Cloud-based patient relationship management (PRM) systems are one of the latest ways for offices and clinics to keep the lines of communication open. This new digital health technology is providing avenues for two-way communication that makes discussions between doctors and patients easier to initiate, monitor and document.
Easier for Patients to Share Feedback
Today, online reviews help people make informed decisions about everything from what products to buy to which doctor to visit. A recent survey from BrightLight shows that 88 percent of people now trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. Giving patients a way to share their experience with the doctor is an important part of the communication process. Honest patient feedback is certainly valuable information for a doctor or clinic whether or not it’s posted online.
A patient relationship management system can give a patient the flexibility to leave feedback for the doctor or write a review that can be shared. For example, the Solutionreach patient reviews feature helps clinics collect reviews from patients and publish them on the Web. There is also functionality that generates custom surveys to give clinics an idea of how well they are meeting patient needs.
Convenient Lines of Communication
People are busy these days. As a result, they are constantly connecting via smartphones, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to communicate with doctors. The more lines of communication there are, the easier it is for patients to use their preferred method to keep in touch. PRMs are bridging the gap by allowing for contact by phone, email, text and even social media from a single system. Another convenience factor is that these systems allow communication to be documented for later review. The ability to put emails and appointment reminders on autopilot is also a convenience for both the health provider and the patient.
Better Organization of Communication and Information
Decades ago, thousands of paper files were necessary to keep patient information organized. Needless to say, searching for a file was much more time-consuming and the potential for errors was much higher. New technology has revolutionized file management and, in turn, improved the way that doctors and patients communicate. With the right systems in place, clinics can quickly find a patient file, review their records, answer questions, supply health providers with important information and even see when a patient was communicated with last. Specialized patient relationship management solutions can also integrate withelectronic healthcare record systems. Anytime a patient’s records are updated, the information changes in the PRM as well. The practice can even choose how frequently their data syncs. Automatic syncing cuts down on admin tasks so staff can spend more time with patients rather than files. continua a leggere
