Risk Mitigation Through Patient Communication And Engagement

...Engaged patients are healthier, happier, and more loyal to their providers.

Operating a physician practice is inherently fraught with risks.

Patients may not provide complete information needed for diagnoses or may not follow their treatment plans, resulting in poor outcomes. Patients may transition to different providers or fail to attend follow-up visits, which can put outcomes and revenue at risk. Providers remain perpetually at risk of being sued.

However, many of the risks associated with patient-provider interactions can be reduced through more effective patient communication and engagement. The more informed the patient is, the more consistent treatment can be and the more involved patients tend to be in their own care. The more frequently and effectively the doctor or provider communicates with the patient, the closer the relationship becomes. Engaged patients are healthier, happier, and more loyal to their providers.

That level of engagement requires time, a commodity in short supply at busy practices. That’s where technology plays a key role. By using a secure, automated, and HIPAA-compliant patient relationship management (PRM) tool, healthcare providers can improve patient engagement and reduce many common risks.

PRM solutions boost a practice’s communication and engagement capabilities by using intelligent messaging, automatic reminders, secure patient portals, guided communication workflows, self-scheduling, and targeted population communications. Providers can communicate with their patients via customized, secure, HIPAA-compliant e-mail and text messages, while eliminating manual administrative work.