The following is a guest blog post by Chelsea Kimbrough from Stericycle Communication Solutions, as part of the Communication Solutions Series of blog posts. Follow and engage with them on Twitter: @StericycleComms
Patients are busier than ever before. Between the hours of eight to five, a majority have only limited availability to reach out to their healthcare providers. And after the day’s work is done, other responsibilities – such as their children’s after-school activities or errands – reign supreme. Providing easy-access avenues to securing care is the key to acquiring these patients’ loyalty.
In many ways, I’m the busy patient described above. And when I recently came down with a stubborn cough and began looking for an urgent care that could quickly see me, I experienced what I already knew: many healthcare organizations are unequipped to provide care that caters to digitally-minded patients. There were three key problems with my experience.
Problem: Limited Information Available Online
When initially searching for a local urgent care, I struggled to learn more about what a typical experience looked like at various locations. As a first time, admittedly nervous urgent care patient, I wanted to make an informed decision about where to receive care. However, I found that many websites did not offer the insight I sought. Without more information to go off of, I made my decision based on the health system’s good reputation.
Solution: Beef Up Your Web Presence
Ensuring your website has information for all patient types – especially those who may be less familiar with what your unique experience may include – will provide greater peace of mind, set accurate expectations, and enhance patient satisfaction.
Problem: Inability to Reserve Estimated Treatment Time Online
For many, leaving work to sit in a waiting room isn’t a viable option. And without an easy way to reserve an estimated treatment time or insight regarding how long the wait time may be, making time to seek valuable care can be a challenging task. While I was able to leave work early and spend the afternoon at my chosen urgent care, many others don’t have the same flexibility in their positions.
Solution: Introduce Urgent Care Digital Check-In
Enabling patients to reserve their place in line from wherever they may be creates a more seamless patient experience, enhances their sense of access, and creates greater operational efficiency within your facility.
Problem: Forced to Wait in Waiting Room
Though I was lucky be able to leave work early and wait for care at the facility, I would have much rather waited at home. Unfortunately, the urgent care only allowed patients to wait to be seen from within the waiting room with little way of entertainment; leaving would forfeit the patient’s place in the queue. As someone who has been spoiled with this capability across numerous restaurant, veterinary, and mechanic experiences, I was disappointed to find this feature wasn’t readily provided by the healthcare facility.
Solution: Automatically Notify Patients When It’s Time to Be Seen
More patients than ever have access to convenient communication tools. By digitizing your check-in process, you can enable patients to wait from the comfort of their home and notify them when it’s nearly time to be seen via an automated text message or voice call.
In all, my urgent care experience took over two hours. Had the facility provided access to more information regarding what my experience could include, the ability to reserve an estimated treatment time online, and a convenient reminder when my time to be seen neared, I could have saved over an hour spent sitting in the waiting room. If I had access to these capabilities, I could have spent this time completing important work tasks while relaxing (and keeping my germs) at home.
To learn more about how busy, consumer-minded patients are driving the need for omnichannel experiences in the healthcare industry, check out our recent e-book, OmniWhat?!
The Communication Solutions Series of blog posts is sponsored by Stericycle Communication Solutions, a leading provider of high quality telephone answering, appointment scheduling, and automated communication services. Stericycle Communication Solutions combines a human touch with innovative technology to deliver best-in-class communication services. Connect with Stericycle Communication Solutions on social media: @StericycleComms