SR Health Blog

Are you prepared to reach out to your patients at a moment’s notice when there’s an emergency closure or schedule change? Whether it’s natural disasters, inclement weather or a global viral pandemic, the past 18 months have reminded us that any number of events can interrupt provider schedules and operations.

As we battle the current surge of COVID cases and hospitalizations there’s yet another  danger to public health lurking behind the scenes—COVID misinformation.

Though telehealth and other virtual health services have become a fixture for healthcare providers and their patients, it’s still unclear how extensively they may be used in the near future and once the pandemic is fully behind us.

It’s no secret that it’s been a rough go of it for healthcare organizations and their patients in the past year, and new data from an Accenture survey shows that changes in the patient experience during COVID haven’t always been for the better.

For healthcare organizations and the public, the Delta variant of the COVID virus couldn’t have surged across the country at a worse time. Cases and hospitalizations are spiking, mask wars are raging, and kids are returning to school this month. Most concerning of all, a large portion of Americans remain unvaccinated.

Though in the past, healthcare consumers routinely ranked the patient-provider relationship as their top healthcare priority, convenience seems to have surpassed it in recent years.

New research shows that patient out-of-pocket healthcare expenses rose by 10 percent since 2020 and will likely increase at the same rate between now and 2026.

To say that healthcare is going through a rough patch right now might be the understatement of all understatements. After nearly 18 months of continuously battling COVID, healthcare organizations now face yet another surge of high coronavirus cases and hospitalizations. This heightened medical care marathon has understandably left providers and their staff exhausted and often frustrated.

While we’re hoping it’s just a temporary setback, recent data showing a trending uptick in COVID cases and hospitalizations in the U.S. and around the world is a sure sign that greater precautions are called for.

Watch a new video that illustrates how Yuma Regional Medical Center leveraged SR Health's patient engagement platform to significantly reduce no-shows while enhancing their ability to connect more meaningfully with patients. Read the full story of Yuma Regional Medical Center's success here.