4 Ways Technology is Improving Patient Engagement

The evolution of technology continues to alter consumer experiences across industries. Consumers compare their healthcare experiences on websites, apps, patient messaging, and other platforms to the standards they've come to expect in terms of usability and accessibility.

In our healthcare system, we've identified 4 ways in which technology improves patient engagement, communication, and experience.

Communicating Across the Patient Care Journey

It is difficult to communicate with patients outside of an in-person encounter. Patient outreach technology allows forward-thinking healthcare systems to connect with patients in the manner in which they feel most at ease, allowing them to take a more holistic approach to support the care journey. PatientMD is an AI-driven digital health platform that offers flexible, customizable communication using multiple modalities — SMS text, downloadable app, or a patient portal — can be powerful tools for making it simple for patients to:

• Confirm appointments
• Share how they’re feeling post-procedure
• Access patient education information
• Receive gentle reminders and nudges about care gaps
• Properly prepare for procedures and tests

PatientMD provides personalized, two-way communication that reduces provider workload by delivering reminders, check-ins, and other interactive opportunities to create a more seamless patient care experience.

Personalization

Consumers today have come to expect a personalized technological experience. When they connect to a company's website or app, their history, preferences, and interests are all taken into account. Using a patient engagement platform, healthcare organizations can take a similar approach to personalization. As they interact with remote patient monitoring devices, these systems respond dynamically to patient interactions. When a patient requires intervention, care teams are notified, allowing them to focus their time on the patients who require it the most, thereby delivering exceptional quality, lowering costs, and improving patient outcomes. Making patients feel truly supported in their care, whether delivered automatically or through human intervention, leads to increased patient satisfaction and a higher quality of life.

Simplicity

In our complex healthcare world, both consumers and providers seek simplicity. While technology has aided in many improvements, the network of disconnected systems is frequently difficult to navigate, and patients become disoriented as a result of hand-offs and broken workflow processes.

Patient engagement technology is a winning solution to the conundrum of simplicity. With automated delivery of education, tips, reminders, and support, PatientMD assists care providers in eliminating repetitive administrative communication tasks. In addition, patients receive just-in-time delivery of step-by-step instructions to help them navigate their episode of care, such as:

• Please confirm your physical therapy appointment for tomorrow at 7:30 a.m.
• Your new patient appointment is tomorrow. Please reach our office by 8: 00 am.
• We haven’t received your weight today. It’s vital that we track your weight to monitor your heart. Please weigh yourself within the next hour. Thank you!
• How is your pain this morning? Please rate your level of discomfort using the scale below.

Accessibility is another important aspect of simplicity. The modern consumer expects to be able to access a service at any time and from any location. In today's interconnected, on-the-go world, a patient engagement solution must be mobile phone accessible. Text messaging is a much more convenient, and thus more widely used, method of patient outreach and communication.

Patient-Doctor Collaboration

In a short period of time, technology has transformed the doctor-patient relationship. It has empowered patients to participate directly and actively in the healthcare process. In an ideal world, a patient engagement platform would empower patients to be active participants in their care plans while also providing doctors with useful information to help them. Technology like telemedicine services is transforming healthcare by bridging the divide between healthcare providers and their patients. Patient engagement platforms can also assist organizations in driving broader population health initiatives and long-term lifestyle changes that reduce risk factors for chronic disease management — all while reducing staff workload. Patient loyalty grows when healthcare consumers feel connected to and supported by the care they receive. 

Conclusion

The advancement of technology continues to raise consumer expectations of healthcare providers. However, these technological advancements can also benefit our healthcare delivery system by expanding the ways in which we engage patients in their care. PatientMD, an AI-powered Digital Health Platform, offers healthcare organizations digital marketing services and patient engagement solutions. Our services can be integrated into your website and promoted to attract and engage new patients, allowing you to quickly grow your practice. To know more details about our services, text us at +18727048154.