10 ASC Patient Engagement Best Practices That Drive Results

Key ASC Patient Engagement Best Practices

• Automated text reminders with a 98% open rate can reduce no-shows by 29% - use the 3-3-3 strategy (three weeks, three days, three hours) for best results

• Digital intake forms paired with texted portal links cut day-of cancellations and boost completion rates by up to 89%

• Intraoperative SMS updates to families achieve an 8.2/10 anxiety reduction score while decreasing staff interruptions

• Structured post-discharge follow-up within 72 hours can reduce readmissions by up to 82% and post-op phone calls by 92%

• Two-way texting cuts call volume by 50% and reduces average interaction time from 4-8 minutes to 30 seconds

• OAS CAHPS surveys are mandatory for ASCs in 2025 - non-compliance triggers a 2.0 percentage point Medicare payment reduction

Before Surgery: Setting Patients Up for Success

Automated Reminders That Actually Get Opened

Patient no-shows cost U.S. healthcare $150 billion annually, with each missed surgical appointment representing roughly $200 in direct costs plus lost revenue.

The good news?

You can dramatically reduce this with the right reminder strategy.

Text messages achieve a 98% open rate compared to just 20% for email, which is why automated text reminders reduce no-shows by 29% according to MGMA surveys.

Timing matters just as much as the channel.

The 3-3-3 strategy has proven highly effective: send reminders at three weeks out (when confirmation rates are highest), three days before (giving patients time to reschedule if needed), and three hours prior to the procedure.

A study of 54,066 patients found that dual reminders at both 3 days and 1 day before reduced no-shows to 4.4%, compared to 5.3-5.8% for single reminders.

Here's another reason early engagement matters: same-day appointments see just a 2% no-show rate, while appointments booked 15 or more days out jump to 33%.

The longer patients wait, the more reminders they need.

Moving Paperwork Out of the Waiting Room

Digital intake forms save time on both sides.

Research shows 70% of patients complete them within 10 minutes, which translates to roughly 10 minutes of saved staff time per appointment.

The clinical impact is just as notable.

A study of 10,854 surgical cases at Macquarie University Hospital found that pre-admission clinics reduced last-minute cancellation rates and discharge delays.

Telehealth pre-anesthesia clinics using standardized protocols cut day-of-surgery cancellations from 3.38% to 1.72%.

One simple tactic that works: text patients a link to your portal.

One ASC saw an 89% increase in portal submissions just by texting links 5 days before appointments.

And with 40% of healthcare appointments booked after hours, mobile-optimized interfaces aren't optional anymore.

Preparing Patients for What to Expect

Between 75% and 80% of patients experience significant preoperative anxiety.

Multimedia education can help address this - 2024 research published in Scientific Reports found it significantly reduces preoperative anxiety in surgical candidates.

The benefits extend beyond comfort.

A systematic review found group preoperative education produced a 0.7-day reduction in mean length of stay and 44% lower odds of postoperative complications.

In bariatric patients specifically, video-based education reduced anxiety across 9 of 10 visual analog scale items, compared to just 5 of 10 for verbal and written instruction alone.

The challenge is that fewer than 40% of patients actually read paper instructions.

Digital reinforcement through text and video isn't a nice-to-have - it's the only way to ensure your education efforts stick.

Surgery Day: Keeping Families Connected

The hours a patient spends in surgery are often the most anxious for family members.

Automated SMS updates can bridge this gap without adding to staff workload.

A quality improvement initiative at Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal studied this across 6,149 surgeries.

The program achieved a 75.6% participation rate and sent 34,129 messages - an average of 5.6 per surgery.

Messages went out at standardized checkpoints:

• Check-in confirmation

• OR entry

• Procedure completion

• PACU transfer

• Discharge readiness

The results were strong: overall satisfaction reached 4.5 out of 5, and the anxiety reduction score hit 8.2 out of 10.

Among recipients, 96% said they felt more connected to their loved ones during surgery.

Staff benefited too - 87% found the system useful and efficient, noting fewer interruptions for verbal status updates.

After Discharge: The Critical Recovery Window

Why the First 72 Hours Matter Most

Nearly 19.6% of Medicare beneficiaries are readmitted within 30 days, costing the U.S. healthcare system $20 billion annually.

Many of these readmissions are preventable. In fact, 60% of hospital return visits after outpatient laparoscopic cholecystectomy stem from preventable events, with post-operative pain being the most common driver.

Timing your follow-up correctly makes a real difference.

Research suggests post-discharge day 2 may be optimal because it gives patients a full day of independent care, allowing for more accurate assessment of hydration, pain control, and self-care ability.

ERAS Society Guidelines recommend contact within 12-24 hours postoperatively.

The data backs this up: 70% appointment adherence was achieved among patients who received follow-up contact, versus just 34% for those with no contact.

In one of our case studies, a hospital surgical department reduced readmissions by 82% in just 90 days using two-way texting for Total Joint Replacement and Endoscopy patients.

The program also saved 20 staff hours and increased patient satisfaction from 83% to 100%.

Capturing Feedback That Drives Improvement

OAS CAHPS surveys became mandatory for ASCs in 2025.

If you're not compliant, you face a 2.0 percentage point reduction in Medicare payments.

CMS targets 200 completed surveys over 12 months per facility.

The effort is worth it beyond compliance. ASCs performing OAS CAHPS show 91.3% positive patient feedback on overall experience.

The survey measures several domains:

• Preparation for surgery

• Check-in processes

• Facility cleanliness

• Staff interactions

• Discharge experience

• Preparation for recovering at home

This feedback loop gives you actionable data to improve operations and patient satisfaction scores simultaneously.

Text Messaging Best Practices for ASCs

Staying HIPAA-Compliant

Standard SMS, iMessage, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger are not HIPAA-compliant.

You need a platform specifically designed for healthcare.

Compliant platforms must offer:

• Business Associate Agreements

• Encryption in transit and at rest

• Access controls with audit trails

• Role-based permissions

Never include protected health information in standard SMS - use secure links to patient portals instead.

Texting a patient's name alone isn't a HIPAA violation, but combining their name with health, treatment, or payment information is.

The "minimum necessary standard" applies: share only what's essential.

CMS updated its guidance in 2023 and now permits texting patient information when done through compliant secure platforms.

For consent, you need three elements:

• Explicit written consent before sending any texts containing PHI

• Risk disclosure warning about potential unauthorized disclosure

• Easy opt-out mechanism (e.g., "Reply STOP to unsubscribe")

Timing and Content That Gets Results

95% of texts are read within 3 minutes, so timing your sends strategically matters.

The best times to send are 4 PM, 5 PM, 3 PM, and 9 AM - avoid lunch hours.

Keep messages to 160 characters or less for optimal readability.

Structure each message with: a greeting using the patient's first name, the purpose, key details, the action required, and contact information.

Include clickable links, date/time/location details, and phone numbers.

Avoid diagnoses or PHI, medical jargon, sending multiple messages at once, and vague next steps.

When your program delivers genuine value, opt-out rates typically stay under 10%.

Why Two-Way Texting Changes Everything

Two-way messaging delivers a 50% reduction in call volume.

That's because 91.9% of patients report that texts helped them avoid calling the office altogether.

The efficiency gains are significant.

An average text interaction takes 30 seconds versus 4-8 minutes for a phone call.

Two-way texting enables patient responses, interactive appointment confirmations, in-text question handling, and easy cancellation management.

The impact extends to revenue cycle too.

In one of our implementations, USPI used two-way texting for payment reminders and reduced outstanding accounts receivable from $110,000 to $48,000 - a 54% reduction in just six weeks.

Post-Op Texts That Prevent Readmissions

Penn Medicine documented a 55% decrease in 30-day readmission odds with automated texting, along with a 41% reduction in acute care resource use.

Patients who received and responded to texts were 32% less likely to be readmitted.

A structured post-op text workflow should include:

• Day 0: Discharge confirmation

• Day 1: Recovery check-in survey

• Days 2-3: Medication reminders

• Days 3-5: Activity and wound care reminders

• Day 7: Symptom check

• Days 7-14: Follow-up appointment reminder

• After day 14: Satisfaction survey

Build escalation protocols into your workflow.

Flag pain scores above 7 for automatic nurse review, and route any "YES" responses to complication questions for priority callback within 2 hours.

A Dialog Health case study showed Baptist Plaza Surgicare reduced post-op phone calls by 92% through automated text surveys.

Over four months, this eliminated more than 3,250 calls and achieved a 2.5x reduction in staff workload - freeing nurses to focus on direct patient care.

Ready to Cut No-Shows and Readmissions at Your ASC?

The strategies above work - but only with the right platform behind them.

Dialog Health is a HIPAA-compliant two-way texting solution built specifically for healthcare.

We've helped ASCs achieve:

• 82% reduction in readmissions in just 90 days

• 92% reduction in post-op phone calls

• 54% increase in cash flow through automated payment reminders

Trusted by HCA Healthcare, AMSURG, and Ascension, our platform integrates with your existing systems and includes real-time analytics through AnalyticsPRO.

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