Positive patient experiences are integral to the success and reputation of your medical practice. With the help of an application programming interface (API), you can leverage short message service (SMS) to communicate directly with the people in your community.
Texting patients is a convenient way to deliver more personalized care and enhance patient interactions. Discover the capabilities and benefits of utilizing an SMS API integration for your medical practice.
7 Ways SMS API Integrations Can Serve the Medical Field
SMS API integrations allow care providers to share information directly with their patients via text message. The integration supports:
- Sending and receiving SMS from an application.
- Automated and personalized messaging.
- Sharing notifications indicating an update in your patient portal or electronic medical record (EMR) solution.
- Scalability for communicating with a large volume of recipients.
With these capabilities in mind, your healthcare facility can utilize SMS API integrations to share the following:
1. Appointment Reminders
You can use SMS to send automated appointment reminders to your patients. Connecting with patients a day or two before their scheduled time slot can help minimize last-minute cancellations and no-shows.
Sharing a quick reminder text can help your practice optimize scheduling and resource utilization. About 75% of people check a new notification within the first five minutes of receiving it, increasing the likelihood that they see and acknowledge your message versus an email.
2. Prescription Alerts
Medical practices can also use SMS API integrations for sharing medication reminders, dosage instructions and prescription refill alerts with patients. You can help your patients stay on top of their daily medication schedules and ultimately support better treatment outcomes.
3. Test Results
SMS allows medical facilities to share updates with patients regarding their test results. Instead of having to call patients individually, you can send a text letting them know their results are available in the patient portal. In some cases you can share a hyperlink, and all they need to do is follow the link and enter their credentials to see the latest updates.
This feature offers convenience for your patients and saves valuable time. Waiting around for test results can be anxiety-inducing for some patients. SMS API integrations allow you to reduce stress levels and offer greater peace of mind.
4. Care Instructions
Another way the medical field can leverage SMS is by providing patients with follow-up care instructions or additional information about treatments. For instance, care providers may share suggestions for an easier recovery after a procedure.
By sharing personalized care guidance, you can foster more meaningful connections with your patients and provide them with the support they need to feel their best.
5. Health Education
Similarly to sharing care instructions with patients, medical providers can share informational text messages about health education, such as:
- Wellness tips
- Upcoming health events
- Preventative care
- Recommended screenings
Your practice can utilize SMS API integrations to promote a healthier, more active lifestyle among your patients. Sharing this information can also empower people to be proactive about their fitness, health and nutrition.
6. Bill Payment Reminders
Text messaging can be used to share timely payment reminders with patients. The SMS API integration must work with your billing solutions to share personalized messages about the patient’s balance.
7. Patient Feedback and Surveys
Another way to utilize SMS API integrations for your medical practice is by requesting feedback from your patients. Ask them to share honest input about their experiences and level of satisfaction with the care they received.
SMS offers an accessible and straightforward way for your patients to fill out a survey or questionnaire. You can use their feedback to inform decision-making, address concerns, make improvements and ultimately enhance their experiences with your practice.
Why Is the Patient Experience Important?
Patient experience is paramount to a care provider’s reputation and business. By delivering outstanding experiences, your practice can reap many benefits, including:
- Improved patient outcomes: An individual who has a positive experience with your practice is more likely to stick with their treatment plans, follow care recommendations and trust the care provider’s guidance, thus leading to better health outcomes.
- Enhanced loyalty and retention: Patients who feel their interactions with your practice are subpar may turn to another care provider. Prioritizing great patient experience is key to fostering loyalty and improving patient retention.
- Greater efficiency: Another reason to prioritize patient experience is its influence on overall efficiency. When your patients feel good about going to your practice, they are more likely to comply with care instructions and communicate effectively with your staff, helping streamline your daily operations.
- Increased revenue: Great patient experiences lead to higher retention rates, improved care, better treatment outcomes and more trust between the provider and patient. All of these factors positively benefit your practice’s bottom line.
How Texting Improves the Patient Experience
There are many advantageous uses for text messaging in healthcare, from coordinating scheduling to sharing test results. But how does texting improve the patient experience? And why would the people receiving care from your practice be interested in SMS communications? Here is an overview:
- Convenience: SMS is one of the most efficient ways to connect with another person. People often have their mobile devices within reach, making it one of the most convenient and straightforward ways to get updates from your practice, regardless of their location.
- Satisfaction: You can increase patient satisfaction by providing individuals with timely information about things like upcoming appointments or medication reminders. Your patients will appreciate having these insights at their fingertips and the ease of managing their healthcare from their phones.
- Building trust: Using SMS in healthcare can help your practice build trust between your care providers and patients. Through ongoing communication and regular messaging, your patients will begin to look at your practice as an important resource and part of their everyday health.
- Engagement: SMS makes it easy to stay in touch with your community, keeping them immersed in their care and fostering more meaningful and active relationships. Texting allows patients to stay engaged with your practice without much effort or time.
SMS is a wonderful way for care providers to make their patients’ lives easier and ultimately enhance their experiences with your practice.
Schedule a Demo of the SMS Gateway API Today
If your medical facility is interested in leveraging SMS to enhance patient experiences and improve care outcomes, turn to Red Oxygen.
With our SMS gateway API, you can supercharge your existing program infrastructure and streamline daily communications. Red Oxygen’s solutions make connecting with your patients and clients easy, and you can share messages using the software you’re already comfortable working with.
Request a demo of the flexible SMS gateway API from Red Oxygen to start enhancing patient experiences.
