Electronic Health Reporter

Whether you work in a hospital, dentist, doctor or dermatologist’s office, providing your patients with a positive experience should be a priority. The increased costs of healthcare premiums and deductibles that are often passed down to subscribers, has caused a lot of people to become more aware of the type of treatment they receive from medical professionals. Like with other industries, consumers are starting to shop around to ensure they’re getting the best experience possible.

Patients are more inclined to visit a medical professional who can not only treat the problem but someone who gives them a supportive and positive experience every time they visit. Healthcare providers are urged to understand that this experience is not only tied to the success of treatment. They must work diligently to ensure their patients’ needs are accommodated from the time they schedule the appointment to the time they’re treated.

One powerful and innovative resource that medical professionals like a dermatologist in Mckinney TX or a dentist in Miami FL are technology. Medical practices would be wise to leverage the use of technology to their advantage. Such tools can help to enhance the patient experience which leads to better doctor-patient relationships and overall patient outcomes. Though there are lots of technological resources out there to consider, below are a few features one might consider implementing in their practice:

Online appointment setting and reminders

With a hectic schedule, how in the world does a person find the time during traditional business hours to set an appointment with their doctor? The answer is, they don’t. It simply gets put off for days. Then, when they finally set an appointment, it’s often missed simply because they forgot.

Medical practices can help patients with this problem and reduce their no call, no show visits by implementing online appointment setting features with reminders. Allowing patients to go online whenever it’s most convenient for them and pick a date and time for an appointment provides a convenience they can get behind. With a reminder being texted or emailed to them a few days before, you also help them to stay on track with their health.

Electronic patient forms

When someone makes an appointment to see the doctor, chances are they’re on a schedule themselves. Meaning, they don’t necessarily have the time to spend the next ten or fifteen minutes filling out paperwork. This increases wait times and inconvenience the patient. Healthcare providers can remedy this problem by allowing patients to complete their forms online. This way the patient can complete the forms prior to showing up and get seen faster.

Telemedicine

There are patients that simply have a hard time making it in to visit the doctor. Some face mobility challenges while others lead busy lifestyles that don’t allow them to slow down. Healthcare providers can assist their patients in making their health a priority by offering telemedicine features. This is a technological tool in which medical professionals to consult, diagnose, and prescribe medication for their patients remotely. This helps to shorten wait times for patients who are in office, it increases patient interest in caring for their health, reduces healthcare costs, and strengthens the doctor-patient relationship.

Healthcare management tools

There are a lot of other applications and software investments that medical practices can make to enhance their patients’ experiences. There are healthcare management tools that can be customized to enhance overall patient care. Providers can develop comprehensive individual care plans, send out appointment reminders, automatically refill prescriptions, and provide patients with reading materials and health advice to get them engaged in their own care.

Ensuring your patients have a positive experience when they visit your practice is imperative to your bottom line. Dissatisfied patients will ultimately turn elsewhere for medical care. Implementing software that not only reduces wait times and improves doctor-patient communication, but that accommodates a patient’s lifestyle sends the message that you do care and that essentially they’re in good hands.