Effective COVID-19 Communications

During the week of March 16 alone, SR Health helped facilitate over 50 million essential patient communications related to COVID-19. The spread of COVID-19 is unprecedented in modern times. It’s scary, especially for those at high risk or who care for someone who is high risk. As a healthcare organization, you have a responsibility to keep patients informed and protect their health. SR Health can help.

There are several communication tools in SR Health that you can use to:

Effectively manage the unprecedented volume of patient calls and reduce staff burden.
Minimize waiting room traffic and COVID-19 spread to increase patient safety.
Provide the access, education, and care patients need to stay safe and healthy.

Offer easy access to telehealth options.

Telehealth integration is available in messages. Embed telemedicine links in appointment reminders, pre-visit instructions, and group messages to simplify the process of virtually connecting patients and providers. CMS and the OCR are loosening restrictions on the use of telemedicine and encouraging providers to offer this options for the health and safety of patients.

Send text-first group messages.

SR Health allows providers to communicate with patients through the most effective medium—text. These group messages enable targeted outreach, and patients open 90 percent of text messages. Consider using this tool to:

Reach out to patients to cancel and reschedule elective procedures and other non-essential appointments.
Communicate changes in hours or services.
Provide additional information for patients who are coming in for needed care.

Create and change COVID-19 pre-visit instructions.

To encourage patients to take extra precautions, you can create and then enable COVID-19 pre-visit instructions. This can be used for messages like, "If you are experiencing coronavirus symptoms such as a cough, fever, or shortness of breath, please contact our office before your appointment."

Use two-way text messaging to connect with patients.

Two-way text messaging enables communication with patients who have a question but because of high call volumes, face long wait times for response. Office staff can handle multiple conversations at once while still focusing on in-office patients. Two-way text also allows patients to check-in remotely from their vehicles. Staff can text the patient when it’s time for them to see their provider. If you have questions about text and email compliance, download our guide.

Add a pre-visit screening form to digital intake.

Pre-visit screening via digital intake forms allows providers to ask patients about COVID-19 symptoms and reduce the time patients spend congregating in waiting rooms or touching equipment such as clipboards and in-office tablets. A form can be added to a digital intake packet of forms with basic questions:

Do you have a fever?
Do you have a cough?
Have you been exposed to anyone who tested positive for COVID-19?
Have you been to an area with a high rate of COVID-19 infections or been exposed to someone who has?

Send informational email(s) to all patients.

Group emails to all patients can provide general information about COVID-19. Use information available from the CDC to help patients understand what COVID-19 is, the signs and symptoms to look for, when to be tested, and how to prevent the spread. This tool is also a good way to communicate about things like drive-through testing sites and other local resources.

Manage COVID-19 Communications

Offer easy access to telehealth options.

Send text-first group messages.

Create and change COVID-19 pre-visit instructions.

Benefits of Scheduling Flows

Providers said they had:

SR Health is improving patient experience for leading healthcare organizations.

SR Health is improving patient experience for leading healthcare organizations.

Use two-way text messaging to connect with patients.

Add a pre-visit screening form to digital intake.

Send informational email(s) to all patients.

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