Physicians Practice - Tech Guide 2008 - (Page 35)

PATIENT RELATIONS ATTENTION GRABBERS BY ROSEMARIE NELSON TECHNOLOGY IS MAKING IT EASIER TO TALK TO YOUR PATIENTS. AND THEY’RE WAITING FOR YOU. How do you typically try to get your patients’ attention? Do you proactively manage your relationships with established patients? Do you promote your services to prospective patients? Many practices spend their marketing dollars on the same products year after year. They take out Yellow Pages ads, print brochures, mail out periodic newsletters, and collect patient satisfaction surveys. Exploring how new technologies could better reach their current and potential patients rarely crosses the minds of most busy physicians. But consider this: A recent poll of U.S. healthcare leaders, conducted by pathologist and writer Richard Reece, revealed that effective provider-patient communication is crucial to addressing the top three innovations survey respondents said are transforming healthcare. They are: 1) information technology tools that allow consumers to better manage and pay for their care; 2) consumer-driven healthcare; and 3) chronic care management. Online tools deliver results, are cost-effective, and respond to the expectations of today’s typical healthcare consumer. In a recent Harris Interactive poll, 77 percent of the adults surveyed indicated they would appreciate e-mail reminders from their physicians when they are due for a visit or follow-up care. Two-thirds of those polled expressed a desire to receive diagnostic test results via e-mail. The survey also indicated that the availability of online services may inﬂuence how patients select their healthcare providers. Many patients are visiting interactive bulletin boards in search of healthcare information. Some read or create WWW.PHYSICIANSPRACTICE.COM their own blogs on healthcare topics. Although the majority of your patients are probably not yet this tech-savvy, the online world is a vast and ever-expanding arena for targeting healthcare consumers. GET ACTIVE How can your practice tap into this arena? Start by providing electronic tools in your reception and waiting areas that educate and remind your patients about the preventive services you offer. Use video programs and kiosks to engage your patients’ attention while they wait. Consider this scenario: A patient checks in for an appointment and your receptionist gives her a handheld wireless tablet PC to create her family and personal health history. When she is ﬁnished, software on the PC generates reminders and educational information relevant to her speciﬁc answers. For example, if she indicated a history of heart disease in her family, she may be given information about healthy lifestyle factors. Or she may receive information about regular colonoscopies or the beneﬁts of that overdue tetanus shot. And her data entry automatically allows you to generate a printed report that is concise, easy-to-read, and highlights issues for potential follow-up visits. A more common approach to patient education is video. Imagine a digital presentation customized to educate consumers about your TECHNOLOGY GUIDE | PHYSICIANS PRACTICE | 35 http://WWW.PHYSICIANSPRACTICE.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Physicians Practice - Tech Guide 2008

Physicians Practice - Tech Guide 2008 TG Cover Story: Protect Your Practice and Sleep Better Operations: Paperless? Not Quite The Internet: You've Got Mail...Or Do You? Patient Relations: Attention Grabbers The Tech Doctor: All About Blogs Lessons Learned: 'My EMR Nightmare...And Why I'd Do It Again' Scheduling: No More No-Shows The Marketplace: Who's Got Your Back IT Enhancement: Time, at Last, for an Upgrade? Online: 'Yup, I'm a Junkie. And Proud of It.' In the Office: New Technologies in the Workplace: Blessing or Curse? Web Surfing: If You Build It...

Physicians Practice - Tech Guide 2008

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