9 Digital Patient Engagement Solutions For Healthcare Providers

Healthcare organizations and providers have more ways of improving care than ever before thanks to digital tools that increase patient access and experience. Many of these health technologies focus on patient engagement, which empowers patients to participate more in their care process. Patient engagement benefits healthcare providers and medical practices, too, as better care leads to increased patient satisfaction and retention and helps your office become more cost-effective.

What is patient engagement?

Patient engagement focuses on improving healthcare quality by helping patients become more actively involved in their own care. In this collaborative process, your patient becomes a partner with you in their care, becoming more informed about their overall health or specific conditions and sharing in treatment decision-making with their physician.

Engaged patients are more likely to be proactive, rather than reactive, about their health, taking steps to stay healthy and prevent diseases in the first place. When faced with health problems, an engaged patient is also more likely to take the time to fully understand their condition, communicate openly with their provider, be willing to adhere to their treatment, and self-manage their care.

All of these steps can improve healthcare outcomes and reduce costs for your healthcare organization. Plus, strong patient engagement strategies also lead to better patient experience, both in how well patients rate the care they received from their healthcare provider and their overall satisfaction with the outcome.

What is digital patient engagement?

With numerous health technologies available and growing, your patient engagement strategies have to fit the digital healthcare world, too. That means access to tools or care when it’s convenient for your patients. These mobile health (mhealth) tools increase access to health information and care along numerous patient touchpoints, improving patient outcomes and offering patients more options—all of which are critical to gaining an edge over other medical practices.

Digital patient engagement strategies can include straightforward tools like appointment scheduling apps, resources to track their treatment or symptoms, automated appointment reminder text messages, or access to their electronic health record (EHR) through a patient portal. These tools can improve communication between patients and your office and help reduce appointment cancellations and no-shows.

Your practice can also use more advanced virtual care tools, like remote patient monitoring or 24/7 telehealth services. These patient engagement tools help your patients self-manage their follow-up care or stay on top of their treatment plans without having to make an office visit.

3 Benefits of Digital Patient Engagement Tools

Digital health tools complement and support your in-person interactions and health services, significantly improving patient experience. When you adopt patient engagement tools, your practice can experience many benefits, including:

Increased Patient Satisfaction

An informed and involved patient has more say in their healthcare decisions, which allows them greater autonomy over their health and overall satisfaction with their care. Paired with other tools that make it easier to communicate with providers and manage their care in more convenient ways, patients are more likely to stay with your medical practice or even recommend it to others.

Improved Staff Productivity and Satisfaction

Digital patient engagement tools can help reduce the administrative burden on your staff, allowing patients to schedule or change appointments, pay bills, or even fill out paperwork on their own. They help your staff stay more efficient and allow them to focus more on providing excellent patient care.

Reduced Risk of Burnout

Medical practices often have busy schedules and heavy workloads, leading to staffers feeling extremely stressed or even burning out. By adopting digital tools, you can automate many of your office’s repetitive or manual tasks, which in turn reduces the burden on your staff and helps lower the risk of burnout or staff turnover.

9 Digital Patient Engagement Tools and Platforms To Use

Healthcare providers interested in improving patient engagement should consider adopting one or more of the tools below.

Podium

This all-in-one AI-powered virtual employee automates many front-desk and administrative duties for your medical office, saving your staff time and improving patient experience. Podium’s AI Employee can book and reschedule appointments 24/7 and improve patient communications by providing support or answering questions. See how the AI Employee can improve efficiency and patient experience for your practice.

Health Risk Assessments

A big part of patient engagement is personalizing healthcare by assessing each patient’s medical history, risk factors, and lifestyle. Health risk assessments do just that, helping medical providers and patients understand healthcare from a holistic perspective instead of just focusing on apparent symptoms. This tool helps educate patients and inform care or treatment plans in a personalized manner, ensuring each patient receives what they need.

Screenings for Care Gaps

Sometimes, there can be inconsistencies between a recommended course of care and the care a patient actually receives. Screening for care gaps ensures your patients stay engaged in their care and receive the needed services or treatments for their individualized, comprehensive care plan.

Lab Notifications

Fully engaged patients want to know their laboratory results as soon as they’re available. Patient portals and other tools offer automated delivery of lab results, so patients don’t have to wait for days or call their provider’s office for information.

Medication Reminders and Notifications

Patients have busy lives, so a digital tool that provides medication reminders or refill notifications can help them stay on track and follow their recommended treatment. The better patients adhere to their course of treatment, the more likely they are to achieve a better outcome.

Care Coordination

Patients with numerous or complex health conditions are typically under the care of more than one provider or medical office. Coordinating care with other specialists ensures that everyone is on the same page and working towards the same healthcare goals, which is critical for patient engagement.

Patient Self-Scheduling

Allowing patients to book or change their appointments reduces no-shows and cancellations while also decreasing the administrative burden on your staff. Online self-scheduling through a patient portal or scheduling app gives patients 24/7 access, so they can make appointments when it’s convenient for them.

Automated Appointment Reminders

Patient no-shows can result in decreased revenue for your medical practice and worse outcomes for your patients. With digital tools, your practice can send out appointment reminders automatically, giving patients the time to reschedule or cancel if needed.

Curbside Check-ins

If you want to reduce crowding and wait times at check-in, consider curbside check-in. This patient engagement tool allows patients to inform the office they’ve arrived, complete forms, submit health insurance information, and more—all from the convenience of their vehicle.

Boost Patient Engagement with Podium

If you’re ready to improve patient engagement at your medical practice, consider a comprehensive digital tool like Podium’s AI Employee. The virtual employee automates tasks, allowing your staff to focus on what matters most—improving patient care and outcomes. Learn how Podium’s AI Employee can help your healthcare practice today.