FRANKLIN, Tenn., March 11, 2021 – A new data analysis shows that more than four out of every five patients will participate in satisfaction surveys administered by healthcare providers via text message.
The data comes from Digestive Health Center (DHC) of Dallas, an ambulatory surgery center (ASC) owned and operated by AMSURG. DHC of Dallas sent about 7,400 Net Promoter Score (NPS) survey text messages to patients in 2020. Texts were delivered via Dialog Health, a two-way texting platform that enables information to be pushed to and pulled from patients, staff, and caregivers.
The survey text stated the following: "Would you mind rating your experience with us between a 1 and a 5, with 1 being low and 5 being high? Simply reply with the number." The engagement results were as follows:
About 82% of patients replied with a 4 or 5
About 1% replied with a 1, 2, or 3
The total percentage of patients who participated in the survey exceeded 83%. In addition, more than 200 patients provided commentary when they replied with their number.
Improving Net Promoter Score With Text Messaging
The 82% of patients who responded with a 4 or 5 were subsequently texted a link to a web page where they could leave online reviews of DHC of Dallas. This has helped the ASC strengthen its online reputation.
"We are proud of the excellent patient-centered care provided at our centers each and every day," says David Shackelford, MHA, regional vice president of operations for AMSURG. "One important way we measure our effectiveness is through our NPS survey to patients. Our strong partnership with Dialog Health allows us to leverage a texting-outreach platform, which has demonstrated an incredible rate of response."
"Based upon the experience of clients who use text messaging for patient surveys and achieve great outcomes, we were confident that texting would deliver DHC of Dallas the results it was looking for," says Brandon Daniell, president and co-founder of Dialog Health.
Adding Texting for Patient Surveys
The decision by DHC of Dallas to employ two-way texting for its NPS surveys was easy. The ASC was already finding success using Dialog Health to perform a post-appointment patient communication campaign via text messages. The center's leadership expected that texting would provide a fast, efficient, and cost-effective way to gather real-time feedback from patients the day after surgery.
"This feedback loop is so important as is provides visibility into our successes and also areas for improvement," Shackelford says. "Ultimately, this patient communication solution allows us to celebrate the dedication of our entire care team to achieving high-quality care with a great patient experience."
Organizations like DHC of Dallas are growing increasingly reliant on text messaging for patient and staff communications. Email communications have become less dependable due to the proliferation of spam and sheer number of emails most people receive daily. Phone calls take up significant staff time and resources while also delivering poor results because of the increasing tendency for consumers to ignore calls from unfamiliar numbers.
"We are pleased that this analysis further validates the effectiveness of text messaging for communicating and engaging with patients," Daniell says. "By embracing the speed, convenience, and ubiquity of texting, surgery centers and other healthcare providers can increase patient participation and engagement in their care, which benefits patients, staff, organizations, and the healthcare system as a whole."
To learn more about how DHC of Dallas and other healthcare providers are benefitting from two-way text messaging, access Dialog Health case studies here.
About Dialog Health
Dialog Health is a U.S.-based company that provides a two-way texting platform to organizations which they can leverage as a communication and engagement channel. Two-way texting is a convenient, fast, effective, and affordable communication resource for stakeholder engagement. For more information, visit www.dialoghealth.com, call (877) 666-1132, and follow Dialog Health on LinkedIn.
