Healthcare Communications

Smart Devices and Messaging

  I’ve seen the future and I love it. Rumor has it that FitBit (www.fitbit.com) is coming out with a new device. Fitbit, for those not in the know, makes a pedometer, accelerometer, altimeter combination device complete with social networking.  It measures the number of steps I take per day, the number of miles walked, flights of stairs climbed, calories burned, and overall activity...

read more

Part 2 – Essentials for Successful Patient Portal Adoption

Regarding portal use, how do you educate your patients?  Or perhaps the question can be phrased; where do you educate your patients?  I ask the question with this twist to make a point.  A touch point if you will allow me.  Patient education is something you do at touch points – every touch point you can think of. Let’s first examine what I mean by touch points.  A touch point is a...

read more

Part 1 – Essentials for Successful Patient Portal Adoption

Stage 2 is coming.  Soon enough you’ll have an opportunity. No, you’ll have a responsibility to get your patients to communicate with you through your portal.  Some of you are already using a portal successfully.  Others, not so much.  Let’s look at some of the success factors behind successful adoption and why you should pay attention. The first reason to pay attention is money. ...

read more

Intelligent Routing

The message began, “Hello, this is Mrs. John Andrews and I’m calling for Dr. Nicholas.” The message continues, “I was in the shower when my cat came in to the bathroom”.  As an answering service owner, you know by now that nothing good could possibly come from this call. “When the cat jumped on the sink and with her tail, she knocked my prescription off the sink and some fell into...

read more

Are You Keeping Up or Falling Behind?

Are You Keeping Up or Falling Behind?

In yesterday’s WSJ Marketplace section, (also online)  there was an article that caught my eye. It talked about how cell phone providers are trying to hold on to the revenue for voice minutes, even though voice usage has dropped over the last few years.  While the information on the economics of cell phone plans was interesting, what was more intriguing was the trend data driving the change....

read more

Texting with Patients – Good Idea?

Texting with Patients – Good Idea?

In a 5/16 Physician’s Practice blog post, the author, Erica Adler writes about the benefits and considerations of physician’s text messaging with their patients. Some of the concerns Adler cites in her article include: 1.  Physician Contact – If patients are texted from a providers cell, one risks patients’ obtaining access to the provider’s cell number, which, beyond physician...

read more