Second part in a five-part series In this blog, we continue our series in which we examine the importance of a text messaging platform's ability to scale across a healthcare provider's entire enterprise. By leveraging texting in this manner, patients can receive texts from the multiple departments that are supporting them as they navigate their care journey. This covers the following stages in the journey: Pre-appointment Appointment Post-appointment Billing Staff communication We previously published a blog on the pre-appointment stage of this journey through the enterprise. 4 Appointment Text Messaging Benefits In this second in a five-part series, we discuss four of the ways text messaging supports and strengthens appointment communications. 1. Increasing patient volume Texting is a proven method to encourage patients to schedule services, show up for appointments, grow patient volume, and ultimately generate revenue — all of which are of heightened importance as organizations work to recover from declines experienced during the pandemic. Text messaging is being used to help patients reschedule everything from annual physicals to surgical procedures that needed to be postponed over the past year; streamline the scheduling of routine services, such as lab tests, imaging, rehabilitation, and physical therapy; and driving recall programs for services like mammograms, colonoscopies, vaccines, and immunizations. Texting is also helping reduce patient hesitancy about receiving in-person services because of fear of contracting COVID-19. Texts can explain how organizations are working to ensure patient safety as well as provide guidance and reassurance leading up to appointments about safety and the importance of keeping appointments. 2. Loved ones and caretakers To reduce COVID-19 exposure risk, many healthcare providers implemented restrictions concerning loved ones and caretakers waiting inside facilities while patients received treatment. Providers are using texting, including automated messaging, to share real-time patient progress updates with these individuals. In addition, text messaging is also being used to inform loved ones, caretakers, and transportation providers when patients are ready for discharge. These text messages can provide instructions on where drivers should go to pick up patients. Even as waiting area restrictions are being reduced and lifted, organizations are continuing to use texting to deliver this information. Doing so can allow loved ones and caretakers to leave the waiting area once a patient is admitted and go to an on-site cafeteria or nearby dining or shopping location. Loved ones and caretakers can better use or enjoy the time when they are waiting while knowing they will receive timely updates that will help ensure they are back in the waiting room for discharge. 3. Migration to contactless/paperless One of the safety protocols instituted by many organizations early in the pandemic was moving away from as much in-person communication as possible to help reduce contact between individuals and thus the risk of COVID-19 transmission. This covered verbal discussions and the passing of paper documentation. On the day of a healthcare appointment, such communications included safety protocol reminders, pre-screening questionnaires, and the paying of bills. For healthcare providers leveraging text messaging, texts could be sent to direct patients to complete these tasks. This was accomplished either via a two-way text message that asked patients if they are feeling well and reminding them to reschedule appointments if they are not feeling well or by including a hyperlink in a text that takes patients to a secure patient portal or webpage. While the infection rate is declining, leading some healthcare providers to return to pre-pandemic methods of communication, many organizations that saw firsthand just how much text messaging helped streamline appointment communications plan to continue using texting in such a manner going forward. By doing so, they are freeing up valuable staff time and embracing a communication method favored by many patients. 4. Telehealth The use of telehealth has surged dramatically as healthcare providers increasingly relied on virtual services to deliver care while supporting social distancing and stay-at-home efforts, improving access, and replicating face-to-face appointments. Many organizations have made text messaging an integral component of their telehealth programs, including for the initiation of telehealth consultations. Organizations can send text messages that include hyperlinks. When the link in the text is selected by the patient, a web browser or default videotelephony app will automatically open and the camera on the patient's phone should activate. Texting can also be used to inform patients about the availability of telehealth services, scheduling telehealth appointments, and reminding patients about their appointments. Healthcare Enterprise Text Messaging to Support Post-Appointment Communications Part three of this series will cover the ways text messaging can help healthcare providers with post-appointment-related challenges and opportunities. This includes staff time allotted to follow-up phone calls, patient compliance with discharge instructions, and strengthening online reputation.

Dialog Health collaborated with human resources industry experts to identify five of the top communication pain points experienced during open enrollment and deliver solutions to tackle these challenges. In this blog, we'll share those top pain points and then explain how texting helps overcome each one by providing a real-life example of text messaging in use. Top 5 Benefits Enrollment Communication Challenges The following is a summary of the top benefits enrollment communication pain points 1. Missed key dates and deadlines Email reminders about enrollment can get deprioritized and lost in an employee's inbox, and voicemails often go unchecked. Many employees lose sight of the enrollment window and risk not electing their benefits in time. Continued email, mail, and phone call follow-up efforts can be time-consuming, frustrating, and expensive. 2. Lack of employee awareness of resources Employees are not always aware of the resources available to them during enrollment, such as a website with information, a benefits partner, FAQs, or informational benefits meetings. Time and money are spent developing resources that may be underutilized. 3. Difficulty engaging a remote workforce Not every employee is easily reachable. Some employees might be working from home, others may be on the road. There is no way of knowing if they opened an email, received the letter, or listened to a voicemail. 4. Lack of insight into employee's experience Each employee has a different opinion on the benefits being offered and the resources available to them. They may also have questions that have yet to be answered. It's important to capture these insights to improve the enrollment process. 5. Difficulty communicating mass / group updates Enrollment plans regularly change, necessitating a timely employee update. Sometimes the change is an extensive update that all staff must be made aware of. Other times, it's an update that applies to only a certain group of employees within the company. It's critical to get any time-sensitive updates out in a fast, efficient, and reliable manner. Text Messaging: The Effective Way to Address Enrollment Communication Obstacles Here are examples of ways human resources professionals use the Dialog Health two-way texting platform to improve their benefits enrollment communication. 1. Communicate Key Deadlines and Nudge Non-Compliant Employees The Problem: If an employee misses the enrollment deadline, they may face the inability to change their coverage or even a possible loss of coverage. Furthermore, the human resources team is affected because they must deal with additional administrative burdens and frustrated employees. The Solution: Automating a series of texts to go out before enrollment starts and throughout the enrollment period is a simple, effective way to increase engagement during the campaign. Dialog Health's reporting feature also allows you to see receipt of text communications, and the customizable platform allows you to send additional communication to non-compliant employees. Sample Results : In a single month, a human resources department sent more than 20,000 texts to nearly 4,000 employees informing them of benefit options, enrollment dates, and links to select their benefit plans. This increased the open and read rate of their enrollment campaign and drastically reduced administrative time and costs. 2. Provide Links to Resources and Improve Resource Usage The Problem: Human resources teams work hard to provide employees with resources to guide them during enrollment, such as websites, portals, videos, and informational meetings. Employees, however, may be unaware of the resources that are available to them and how to access them. The Solution: Dialog Health's two-way texting platform allows you to text links to your employees, taking out the guesswork of where and how to access information. By texting links, your employees have easy access to these resources, greatly increasing engagement. Note: 99% of mobile phone can access the internet, making the texting of links a great way to deliver timely information. Sample Results: In a company of nearly 4,000 employees, a link to the new human resources portal shared via text message was clicked more than 4,500 times during the open enrollment period. Considering only 6% of employees opted out of receiving texts, utilization of the texted link surpassed 100%. 3. Enhance Engagement With Remote/Dispersed Workforce The Problem: Not all employees are easily accessible within the office. In the aftermath of COVID-19, many employers are continuing a remote or semi-remote office policy. As a result, employee engagement can be even more challenging than in the past The Solution: Texting is the most effective way to communicate timely, critical information with a large majority of employees while getting the engagement you want and the responses you need. Sample Results: With an open rate of 97%, texting has 4x the open rate of emails. Furthermore, 95% of text messages are read within three minutes of being sent. Texting is proven to drive engagement and quickly and efficiently gather information needed. It has also been used to send motivational messages during difficult times. 4. Request Feedback with Surveys The Problem: Since each employee interacts with the enrollment process differently, it is difficult to anticipate the needs of every employee. The Solution: Dialog Health's Survey Program allows you to get feedback on your enrollment process and helps you find opportunities for improvements in your program's efficiency and effectiveness. Sample Results: An organization achieved an 83% response rate to a survey text, providing them critical information to improve their communication and process. The survey also enhanced employee satisfaction. 5. Quickly Share Changes and Updates The Problem: Since enrollment operates within a defined window of time, when unexpected change arises, it is vital that employees are informed of these changes as quickly as possible. The Solution: Dialog Health's Mass Communication Program allows you to send updates to everyone in the company or targeted updates to a specific subset of your workforce. This drastically reduces staff workload and significantly improves the reach rate of critical, time-sensitive information. Sample Results: When faced with a last-minute change to its open enrollment process, one employer needed just 10 minutes to send a text message update to more than 4,000 people simultaneously. The Undeniable Value of Texting for Benefits Enrollment Communication By leveraging the Dialog Health two-way texting platform to support their benefits enrollment communications, organizations are experiencing impressive results such as the following: Significantly higher response and engagement rates Increased usage of website/portal Improved employee satisfaction Reduced cost of communication and management Streamlined reporting and confirmation of benefits Dialog Health's two-way texting platform is easy to use and quick to deploy. It's a cloud-based platform, so there are minimal IT requirements for users. No data integration is required, and we deliver great customer service that helps streamline implementation and ensure our users are maximizing the benefits of text messaging. To learn more about how Dialog Health can help your organization execute its open enrollment program this year, please contact us at info@dialoghealth.com, 877.666.1132, or schedule a demo of our platform .

We're experiencing the transitionary period from the pre-COVID-19 era to the new normal. It's a time filled with excitement as we get to see people we maybe have seen in many months and participate in activities that needed to be put on hold. It's also going to be a time of challenges and uncertainty as the fight against COVID-19 and its variants continues. During this transitionary period, companies and organizations that use two-way text messaging will undoubtedly find it to be one of the best — if not the best — channels to reach and communicate with their customers and staff. Some of the ways we're seeing our customers using the Dialog Health two-way texting platform to navigate this period include the following: Informing customers and staff about their reopening and any remaining safety protocols Healthcare providers reaching out to patients to encourage them to schedule overdue appointments and then sending reminders so they keep those appointments or know how to reschedule, if necessary Announcing staff appreciation events Coordinating open enrollment Surveying staff about their willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine Sharing locations where staff can receive the vaccine and education about the vaccine Reminding staff about the availability of mental health support services Surveying staff about safety plans and protocols Surveying customers about their experiences and encouraging customers to provide reviews online Continuing to announce positive COVID-19 tests and exposure to COVID-19 to staff and communicating how these affect operations Sharing words of support and appreciation Informing customers and staff about emergencies that affect operations, including power outages, wildfires, and hurricanes This is a small sampling of how companies and organizations are leveraging two-way texts to navigate the highs, the lows, and everything in between for our transition to the new normal. But regardless of how you use two-way texting, the benefits are universal: Text messaging is a proven method for quickly reaching and successfully engaging with customers/patients, staff, and all other stakeholders. And the data show it: About 95% of texts are read within just minutes of being received, nearly all text messages (97%) are read, and more than 90% of American adults 65 and older text. So, if you want to get a message out fast, to a significant number of people and with a high degree of confidence that your audience will receive and read it, send that message as a text.

This blog continues our series examining the importance of a texting platform's scalability across a healthcare provider's full enterprise. By capitalizing on text messaging in this manner, patients can receive timely information and updates from the departments supporting them throughout their entire care journey. This covers the following stages in the journey: Pre-appointment Appointment Post-appointment Billing Staff communication We previously published blogs on the pre-appointment stage and appointment stage of this journey through the enterprise. 5 Post-Appointment Texting Uses and Benefits In this third in a five-part series, we discuss five of the ways text messaging effectively supports and improves post-appointment communications. 1. Reducing post-discharge follow-up calls Following up with patients after they are discharged is essential to helping detect and mitigate unresolved issues, answering questions about discharge instructions, decreasing readmission rates, and improving patient and family satisfaction. But trying to reach every discharged patient by phone tends to prove difficult at best considering most Americans don't answer the phone much. When a patient doesn't answer, staff can either leave a voicemail and hope it's listened to and acted upon or try calling again. When the phone is answered, staff will need to engage in conversation that could take at least a few minutes. The combination of calling and speaking with patients can add up to a lot of time spent by staff on the phone. Text messaging has been proven to be a very useful way to greatly reduce the number of discharge phone calls without hurting quality of care. One study demonstrated that text messaging can eliminate about 7 out of every 10 emergency department discharge phone calls. Texting can also help identify those patients who require or desire a phone call and better ensure the phone is answered when a post-appointment call is made. As Bryan Yarbrough of Ardent Health Services, who has witnessed the benefits of using text messaging for post-discharge communications, stated, "Texting has proven to be a highly efficient, fast, and cost-effective way to streamline much of our emergency department discharge communications and reduce staff workload without sacrificing care quality. By adding text messaging, we can communicate with patients in a manner many of them prefer, which also helps improve satisfaction and engagement." 2. Improving patient compliance For many healthcare services, a successful outcome is not solely achieved at the facility. Rather, what happens after a patient is discharged may be essential. For example, patients or their caregivers may need to perform tasks that reduce the potential for infection, adverse drug events, other complications, and readmissions. Unfortunately, we know these efforts often come up short . Text messaging is an effective way to improve patient and caregiver compliance with the discharge instructions that can keep patients on the path to recovery and successful treatment. Texts can include links to discharge instructions (in the event that they are misplaced); ask whether patients or their caregivers have questions or concerns about instructions or medical developments; remind patients and caregivers about specific post-discharge tasks; include links to helpful resources to support compliance, including videos and infographics; and remind patients and caregivers of what they should do (e.g., number to call) if they have questions or concerns at any time following their appointment. These simple communications can greatly improve compliance and reduce patient harm and the costs associated with non-adherence with directions. 3. Increasing patient satisfaction survey participation rate Performing patient satisfaction surveys serve several purposes. It may be a federal requirement that could impact everything from patient volume to reimbursement. It may be an accreditation requirement. It's definitely a way for healthcare providers to gain meaningful, quantifiable, and actionable data — data that can help assess staff performance and identify potential opportunities for improvement that positively impact quality of care and clinical outcomes, financial performance, patient satisfaction, and online reputation (more on this next), among others. Text messaging is not only a practical way to encourage patients to take satisfaction surveys (such as those available via patient portal), but texting is proven to be an efficient way to conduct patient satisfaction surveys. One study showed that more than 4 out of every 5 patients are willing to take their satisfaction surveys via text. This figure is important when you consider that some facilities struggle to achieve a patient response rate of just 20%. As Dr. Arvind Venkat, who led a study on patient experience data published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine , notes in Healthcare Dive article, "Imagine you conduct a survey, and only the very happy and very unhappy return their surveys. What you get is a very biased sample. That makes it very difficult to come to any meaningful conclusions from the data." 4. Strengthening online reputation When you can successfully engage patients following their appointment, you have an opportunity to undertake initiatives that can improve your online reputation. The facility from the aforementioned patient satisfaction survey study sends text messages to those patients who reported high satisfaction with their experience that includes a link to a web page where these patients can leave online reviews of the facility. Why are online reviews important? One study revealed that 95% of U.S. adult respondents trust online ratings and reviews, and 75% of Americans say online ratings and review sites have influenced their decision when choosing physicians. Consider also that the study showed 30% of consumers share their personal healthcare experiences via social media and online ratings and review sites. When a healthcare organization use text messaging to digitally engage and steer patients with positive experiences and satisfaction to rate and comment about their experience online, they are more likely to reap the rewards of a strong online reputation. 5. Supporting follow-up appointments Many healthcare appointments are part of a series of appointments associated with ongoing treatment for one or more conditions. This includes everything from physical therapy following a total joint replacement surgery to chemotherapy treatments for cancer to meeting with a primary care physician after a visit to the emergency room or urgent care. Texting is an efficient way of reminding patients to schedule their follow-up appointments, if a provider does not take care of this prior to discharge, and of the importance of keeping these appointments to achieving health and wellness goals. When patients are discharged, it can be easy for them to become distracted by other, non-healthcare priorities. Text messages can help patients remain focused on completing all the appointments for their care journey, which will improve outcomes and reduce adverse events and readmissions. Healthcare Enterprise Texting to Support Billing Part four of this series will cover the ways texting can help healthcare providers with billing challenges and opportunities. This includes late patient payments, high accounts receivable balance, excessive time spent on coverage and benefits verification, and patients who struggle to access their medical records.

A few months ago, the Pew Research Center updated its " Mobile Fact Sheet " for the first time in several years. It includes a lot of interesting facts and figures about the mobile revolution, including statistics concerning smartphone and cellphone ownership. Among the figures that caught our attention: 92% of Medicare-aged adults (65 and older) own a cellphone. Of these users, 29% do not own a smartphone — in other words, they only own and use a cellphone. If your healthcare organization is relying upon an app to communicate with patients, and your patient base includes Medicare-aged adults, the latter of these figures should be troubling. It essentially means that 3 out of every 10 of your Medicare patients cannot use your app. That's on top of those patients who are not currently using your app for any number of reasons (e.g., never installed the app, forgot about the app, found the app difficult to navigate, forgot their account information, experienced technical problems). Let's turn our attention back to the first figure we shared: 92% of adults 65 and over own a cellphone. That's great news for the increasing number of organizations using text messaging as a communication tool. All mobile phones can receive and interact with texts. Nearly all texts are read by recipients, and most texts are read within just minutes of being received. In total, Pew reports that 97% of American adults own a cellphone. That's why we say that in a mobile-first world, the effectiveness of texting cannot be denied. If your organization isn't using two-way text messaging or is looking to expand how it's using texting, reach out to us . We'd love to tell you how our clients, which include some of the largest and most respected healthcare organizations, are leveraging text messaging to improve their patient and employee engagement.

If you work in healthcare, you understand the challenges with patient engagement. Dialog Health started from a cry for help from healthcare professionals, so the platform has been designed specifically with healthcare needs in mind. It is now a leading provider of two-way texting solutions and used by healthcare organizations nationwide to improve engagement of patients and staff. Here are five of the features that have helped make Dialog Health an industry leader that helps healthcare providers improve patient engagement and achieve a strong return on their investment in the platform. 1. Lives and Breathes Healthcare We understand the patient's journey and critical communication points along the way, from pre-visit through patient care and finally through post-visit. Dialog Health leverages proven communication best practices to help you deliver the right message at the right time throughout the journey. 2. Cloud-Based Platform Dialog Health has always been a cloud-based platform. This not only supports ease of use but also allows the platform to effortlessly scale and grow with a healthcare provider's business and communication needs. 3. Two-Way Text Messages Dialog Health's platform uses powerful, two-way texting technology that embraces the conversational nature of text messaging. Whether by receiving a response from an automated campaign, accepting an inquiry text, engaging in one-to-one direct chat, or more, this two-way texting feature enhances conversations by actively engaging with patients. Better engagement means your organization receives more of the information and responses you're looking for that can help improve care quality, compliance with instructions, collections, and other critical goals. 4. Compliance With Key Standards From hosting and storage to processing and transmission to opt-in/opt-out management, the Dialog Health platform adheres to the latest HIPAA, TCPA, CTIA, and SSAE standards. This makes us a mobile messaging solution you can trust with sensitive patient information and other data. 5. Tier 1 Connectivity Dialog Health's Tier 1 carrier connectivity status better ensures a best-in-class ability to send and receive SMS across all mobile providers, all while improving quality performance, speed, and reliability. Tier 1 connectivity also allows the Dialog Health platform to provide delivery results for each text message sent on your computer screen. The Better Way to Communicate With Patients Like what you're reading? Dialog Health has even more to offer. Schedule a complimentary demo of Dialog Health today to see firsthand why we've become a leading provider of texting solutions for the healthcare industry. Dialog Health's two-way texting platform: Designed with healthcare needs in mind

As the Delta variant of the coronavirus has driven an increase in infections nationwide, many healthcare providers have found themselves trying to manage a significant uptick in outbound phone calls to patients and caregivers. This has caused these organizations to divert staff and resources to making and documenting these calls. But for those healthcare providers using two-way text messaging, such as through the Dialog Health platform, the number of these calls that staff must complete and document have been cut dramatically — in some instances by more than 70%. Here are five types of phone calls organizations are drastically reducing with texts: Calls to patients before appointments to inquire about possible COVID-19 symptoms Calls to patients to educate them about revised safety procedures Calls to patient escorts if they are not permitted to wait in the facility Calls to patients following appointments to learn if they have since developed symptoms of COVID-19 Calls to patients with COVID-19 test results The key takeaway: At a time when healthcare providers are under significant strain due to the Delta variant, texting is helping to decrease staff phone calls and improve productivity. Dialog Health's two-way texting platform is HIPAA-compliant, cloud-based, and easy to use. Contact us to learn more .

Brandon Daniell, president and co-founder of Dialog Health, discusses how ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are leveraging text messaging to help them navigate the ongoing communication challenges associated with COVID-19 in a new Becker's ASC Review column. In " Ambulatory surgery centers use texting to help manage COVID challenges ," Daniell highlights eight ways ASCs are using texting to strengthen communications with patients, patients' family members, staff, and vendors. They are as follows: Reminding patients about surgical procedures Scheduling new procedures Providing safety instructions Communicating with patient escorts Follow-up communications Screening for COVID-19 symptoms Supporting staff Temporary closure and reopening As Daniell notes, "For surgery centers already using text messaging platforms, this list may provide you with new ideas on how to leverage your technology. If your ASC isn't already using texting, consider how adding the technology could help with your communication efforts concerning these often time-sensitive matters." Access his column in Becker's ASC Review .

The results of a recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveal that text messaging is an effective way to increase vaccination adoption on a large scale. The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and collaborators from other academic institutions who partnered with the Penn Medicine and Geisinger health systems. The objective of the study was to determine whether texting could increase uptake of the flu (influenza) vaccine. More than 47,000 patients were randomly assigned to one of 19 text message groups. Patients received up to two sets of texted prompts about the flu shot. The study's findings suggest that text messages sent prior to a primary care visit can boost vaccination rates by an average of 5%. Texts with language like what is typically used provider-patient communications and that were framed as a reminder to patients who already had an upcoming appointment were demonstrated to be the most effective. The researchers stated that this script could be used as a template for campaigns to encourage the adoption of vaccines in general, including COVID-19 vaccines. As coverage of the research notes , "This study demonstrated that simple, low-cost, behavioral nudges sent via text to patients with appointments scheduled can significantly increase vaccination uptake compared to usual care." If your organization is interested in using text messaging to increase vaccine uptake among your patients and/or employees, contact Dialog Health today to learn how our two-way texting platform supports campaigns that drive engagement with health and wellness initiatives, including vaccinations.

Brandon Daniell, president and co-founder of Dialog Health, discusses areas where text messaging can help medical practices strengthen patient engagement and adherence in a new Physicians Practice column. In " Improving Patient Engagement: Seven ways texting can make a difference ," Daniell highlights the following applications: Appointment reminders Recall campaigns Compliance Telehealth Vaccinations Patient satisfaction surveys Online reputation As he notes, "The examples highlighted represent just a few of the ways text messaging is helping practices improve the overall effectiveness of their patient engagement efforts, expand when and why they are engaging with patients, better take advantage of what is learned through these efforts, and strengthen their bottom line." Access Daniell's column on patient engagement .

Spencer Kelpe, director of key accounts for Dialog Health, joined the "ASC Podcast with John Goehle" to discuss technological advances in patient communications and how technology is helping ambulatory surgery centers (ASC) strengthen their patient engagement. Listen to the podcast here or via major podcast platforms. Note: Spencer's interview begins at 31:50. Each episode of the " ASC Podcast with John Goehle " covers current ASC industry news, discusses regulatory or operational issues, and addresses questions from listeners. It is hosted by John Goehle, MBA, CASC, CPA, an ASC industry veteran with extensive experience in regulation, administration, and finance.

Fourth part in a five-part series This blog post is the latest in our series examining the value and importance of a texting platform's scalability across a healthcare organization's full enterprise. By using text messaging across the enterprise, patients receive more timely information from those departments supporting them throughout their care journey while an organization is able to better achieve its clinical, operational, and financial objectives. This series covers the following stages in the journey: Pre-appointment Appointment Post-appointment Billing Staff communication We previously published blogs on the pre-appointment stage , appointment stage , and post-appointment stage of this journey through the enterprise. 5 Billing Texting Uses and Benefits In this fourth in a five-part series, we discuss five of the ways text messaging effectively supports communications about patient billing. 1. Verification of coverage and benefits For staff members tasked with outbound insurance verification, calling and reaching patients is time-consuming and often unsuccessful. The problem with this approach is an increasing number of outbound calls are not answered. A survey by TrueCaller found that nearly 9 in 10 Americans try to only answer calls if they can identify the person or business calling. And leaving a voicemail is no longer an assured way to reach someone quickly, if at all. However, almost every inbound call to an organization during hours of operation will be answered by a staff member. Organizations can send a text to patients letting them know that a staff member needs to verify their insurance and benefits and then ask patients to call the organization. This usage case is a fundamental game-changer for staff and their workflow as it frees up time typically spent making repeated calls and leaving voicemails. There are many case studies that demonstrate how text messaging dramatically reduces the number of phone calls organizations must make to patients. 2. Improving pre-treatment collections Collecting prior to the day of treatment is a win-win for organizations and patients. Organizations not only receive payment, but they can feel more confident that the treatment will proceed as planned. If patients arrive for their treatment without having paid in advance, organizations have a choice: They can attempt to collect prior to providing treatment or wait until after the treatment to collect. The former can add stress to an already stressed patient. If the patient indicates they are unable to pay, this may force the organization to postpone treatment. If the organization waits until after providing treatment to collect, this can prove difficult and potentially lead to lengthy delays in collecting — which can grow an organization's accounts receivable (A/R) balance — and even lost payments. For patients, paying in advance eliminates a potentially stressful process from their treatment day. They can focus more on their care and getting well. Text messaging is a highly effective way to initiate the pre-treatment collections process. Patients can be informed of their balance and then directed on ways they can pay, such as via portal — with the text providing a hyperlink — or by calling the organization to pay via credit card over the phone, with the text providing a direct phone number. 3. Discussing payments Patients frequently have questions about their balance, from why they owe a certain amount to their options for payment, including whether the organization offers a payment plan. Organizations can include language in texts encouraging patients to call a hyperlinked phone number and the appropriate hours to call if they have questions or concerns about their balance. 4. Balance and payment methodology reminders If pre-treatment collections is not an option or if patients indicate they do not want to pay or pay in full in advance of their treatment, a text message to patients prior to the day of treatment can provide their balance and identify the methods of payment the organization accepts on site. This can better help ensure patients arrive knowing what they own and prepared to pay using an approved payment method. 5. Reducing outstanding accounts receivable Collecting what patients owe for their care is an essential component of a healthcare organization's operations — and one that has taken on greater importance as patient financial responsibility has increased in recent years. This has further motivated organizations to try to collect at least some if not most or all of what a patient will owe prior to the delivery of care. But in many instances, this is not possible. For emergency departments, urgent care clinics, and other service providers that take walk-in patients, collecting what patients will owe for their care in advance — beyond a copay — is not an option. In addition, what a patient will owe for their care may change based upon findings of a treatment (e.g., a colonoscopy that discovers polyps, which are then removed of have tissue samples taken for biopsy). Patient payment estimator tools, while helpful in providing organizations with a figure they can work to collect in advance, only provide what their name suggests: estimations. If the estimation comes in low, the organization will need to collect the balance. All these factors and others lead to outstanding patient A/R that organizations must collect. Chasing payments can be an expensive, time-consuming, and often inefficient and unsuccessful process. Text messaging can help organizations greatly reduce their A/R and get paid faster. For example, one ambulatory surgery center (ASC) used texting to reduce its outstanding A/R by more than half in just six weeks. Employees sent direct texts to patients — instead of making multiple phone calls or mailing billing correspondences — that included a link to the ASC's payment portal and a phone number the patient could call if they had wanted to pay over the phone or had any questions. Texting helped the surgery center collect from patients; helped the ASC collect faster from patients, with about 50% of patients who received the texts paying their bill within just three days of getting the message; and also freed up staff to focus on other essential business office tasks. ​Healthcare Enterprise Texting to Support Staff Communications The final part of this series — part five — will cover the ways texting can help healthcare staff communicate with one another. This includes emergency communications, open enrollment engagement, filling scheduling gaps, and improving staff morale.