Practice Management Committee members recently told the College how they are using texting in new and exciting ways to increase patient satisfaction, improve practice efficiency, and increase revenue! It’s probably no surprise that many Americans now prefer to send and receive texts rather than phone calls. In a 2023 Tebra patient survey, 67% of patients said they want to receive text messages for appointment-related reminders, and 47% want a text to remind them to book an appointment.
Practice Management Committee members share their new, innovative tricks to leverage texting below.
- Confirm and rebook appointments – and fill open slots
Many Practice Management Committee members now use automated texting to confirm patient appointments – and give patients the option to cancel. But in a new twist, when a patient cancels an appointment via text, some systems provide the physician’s next available appointments so the patient can rebook right from their phone! Additionally, some systems automatically work with the patient wait list to fill the new open appointment, texting each patient on the wait list one at a time and giving them 15 minutes to accept before moving to the next one. Other members use a more manual texting approach to fill open slots. These techniques go a long way to reducing patient no-shows and increasing patient access. - Provide allergy shot reminders
Several practices use texting for allergy shot reminders. In an innovative approach, one practice automatically texts reminders to all shot patients who have not been in for six weeks. Since all their shot patients are scheduled at least every four weeks, this eliminates the need to review individual patient dosing schedules, and it has reactivated delinquent patients at almost no cost. - Provide education and instructions
Multiple Practice Management Committee members use texting to provide instructions to patients. Jennifer Kuehn, CPC, Revenue and Coding Manager for Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Associates in Omaha, NE, notes they routinely text patients with pre-service instructions, such as when to stop antihistamines. Razi Rafeeq, MD, FACAAI, provides comprehensive instructions for new patients via text, including reminders to stop antihistamines and requests to bring copays, insurance cards, photo IDs, etc. Other practices use texts to provide updates regarding med refills, extract availability, vaccine availability and more. - Improve payment-related communication
Some Practice Management Committee members now use texting systems to notify patients of balances due, e-statement availability, and provide a link to their online bill pay website. In the Tebra survey referenced above, more than 50% of patients said they preferred a digital option for paying their bill. - Provide updates about schedule changes
Several Practice Management Committee members use texting to update patients about schedule changes, including changes to shot room hours, provider cancellations and changes due to weather emergencies. Texting is a great way to share these types of critical information, and with a texting system, it’s easy to quickly communicate with a large group of patients. - Ask for patient feedback
Two Practice Management Committee members use texts to ask patients for feedback and reviews, linking to physician-review sites.
- Get patients to call the office
Jean Owen, MBA, Practice Administrator for Allergy & Asthma Specialists in Owensboro, KY, says, “We text patients whenever we need to reach them and they don’t answer the phone. Our text says ‘We are trying to contact you. Please call the office at xxx-xxx-xxxx as soon as possible’ and usually they call back immediately. We’ve found patients won’t answer their phone, but they will respond to a text.”
Before implementing a texting program, check to make sure it’s HIPAA-compliant. Ms. Owen also recommends having patients sign a release stating they give the practice permission to use texting to contact them. Make sure to give patients the option to opt out of text communications, however.
Patient portals are terrific for providing detailed patient education, for communication between providers and patients, and for providing test results. However, consider texting when speed is of the essence and you simply need to relay information to patients – or need patients to respond quickly. You’ll increase your chances of reaching your patients, which will in turn increase patient satisfaction.
