SR Health Blog

I was just reading an article about organizations like Cleveland Clinic getting back to basics with reactivation. Taking the time to build a patient recall strategy is more than just a good idea—it’s a necessity for any organization that is looking for a way to optimize their schedule as they work to recover from the big losses of 2020. Even before COVID, for many organizations significant revenue was being lost every month due to missed recall appointments. Attracting new patients to fill those empty spots is more expensive and time consuming than filling them with appointments for existing patients. Studies show it costs five times more to attract a new patient than it does to keep an existing one.

The providers at one full-service health system in Michigan see patients for everything from coughs and minor injuries to open-heart surgery. In their emergency department alone, they see over 100,000 patients a year, many of whom don’t have a primary care provider (PCP). While they are largely fee-for-service, the organization has been actively looking for ways to improve the health of the community and reduce readmissions.

What a year 2020 has been. We've seen organizations shut down almost completely then ramp up to providing nearly all care over telehealth. Now, we are seeing a new mix of in-person and virtual care. Workflows are changing. Staffing models are changing. Everyone is worried about how best to support patients going forward to ensure they get the care they need. New data shows that cancer screenings and other preventive care have plummeted during the pandemic. As we barrel towards 2021, we'd like to know what you think are the biggest patient communication challenges moving forward. Please take one minute to complete this short survey.

At SR Health, we've been thinking a lot about creating the best virtual care workflow. Recently, we created this video to share how we envision the workflow being support by SR Health. We'd love to get your feedback. Watch the video and share your thoughts on whether or not we've gotten it right, or missed the mark, in the comments below. Your thoughts will help us continue to refine our solutions to meet your needs.

This post was reprinted with permission from the Solutionreach blog editor.

The past six to seven months have been stressful. For patients, especially those with underlying conditions that increase their risk, it has been frightening. And, for everyone it has often been confusing. Not only is there a lot of misinformation out there, but there is conflicting information coming from what should be valid sources.

A couple of weeks ago, we posted five tips to better engage patients during COVID from our new guide, COVID Tips from the Top: 20 Innovative Ideas from Top Healthcare Leaders and Other Experts. This week, we want to focus on some of the suggestions around how to engage your team members to help your organization face change and thrive despite COVID.

For an organization that serves 400,000 children in over a million visits a year, a five percent no-show rate has a big impact on the bottom line. That five percent is over 50,000 missed appointments a year. In addition, pediatric organizations face the unique challenge of not just engaging parents but also children over age 13.

With tradeshows postposed for another seasons, most learing and networking has moved online. There are some great virtual educational experiences out there. We are particpating in several in the next couple of months. If you are looking for some inspiration and education around how to support digital transformation, using two-way text messaging and telehealth, and engaging patient more effectively, considering registering for one or more of these events:

Real-time, two-way text is an ideal way to engage with patients, especially when managing a combination of in-person and virtual visits. Since the COVID pandemic began, interest in phone calls has dropped 14 percent. Patients would prefer electronic communications—both automated and real time. Here are several ways to use text messaging to give patients the experience they want while reducing work for staff.