Regardless of your practice's specialty, it's critical that you realize the advantages that can come from good patient engagement techniques. While much of this can be accomplished through building strong, trusting relationships with your clientele, the increased use of digital tools also offers valuable opportunities for advancement in this regard. If you're thinking about how you can take your patient engagement to the next level, you will want to evaluate your electronic medical record software. Take a look at these tips for maximizing patient engagement with EMR software:
Discuss the patient portal
Did you know that Nextech's EMR software comes with a patient portal? Integrating this software into your practice will offer you valuable opportunities to drive patient engagement. The portal is designed to streamline processes that would usually require valuable time to be dedicated to administrative tasks. For example, while in the past doctors or practice managers would have to update paper files with changes to addresses, billing information, insurance policies and so on, your patients can now do this seamlessly through the portal.
"EHR software can even allow for the instant transfer of medical history and former records so that you have all the information you need directly at your fingertips."
To ensure you're getting the absolute most out of your EMR software, discuss the patient portal with your clients. You can do this by either sending out an informational mailing or bringing it up when they next come into the office. You may be surprised at how responsive they are to this, and at how much time and effort it can save you in the long run.
Minimize cancellations
As you already know, there are few things more detrimental to your practice than unexpected cancellations. These voided time slots could be used for other patients' appointments, but often arise at the last minute due to unforeseen circumstances. Nextech's EMR software features NexReminder, an innovative tool designed to minimize, if not fully eliminate, these situations.
Confirmations or cancelations are updated in real time through the Nextech Scheduler, meaning your calendar is always up to date and as accurate as possible. Again, you'll want to familiarize your patients with this feature before directly implementing it.
Express value
HealthCare IT News reported that it's drastically less expensive to retain your current patients than it is to attract new ones. This is particularly true if you operate a specialty practice. One of the best ways to ensure that your patients are happy with your services is to use the portal to maintain their care. While you should always avoid giving direct medical advice when not in your office, the portal can be a valuable tool when it comes to managing preadministered treatment regimens. Your patients can use the portal to submit questions about their condition and you, in turn, can receive notifications of their questions and respond accordingly.
Sending your patients a monthly newsletter through the portal is a great way to express their value to your practice.Another great idea and use for the portal would be to form a monthly newsletter. For example, you could aggregate the most important news articles regarding conditions that your patients have and submit them in the form of a letter each month. Your patients will take all of these actions as an expression by you of their value to your business. In establishing this relationship, you're far more likely to have longer, more meaningful relationships with your patients and far less likely to have to continuously find new ones to bolster your business.