SMS & The Healthcare Industry
The healthcare sector relies on laser sharp time-keeping by suppliers, health professionals and patients alike. According to the NHS, almost eight million hospital appointments were missed, or ‘did not attend’, in 2017/18 (not including appointments cancelled in advance by either the hospital or the patient). And with each hospital outpatient appointment costing the NHS approximately £120 – that means almost £1 billion worth of appointments were missed, equivalent to 257,000 hip replacements or 990,000 cataract operations.
SMS reminders can be sent instantly and easily to patients to ensure appointments aren’t missed.The NHS have, in fact, recently introduced an online portal to enable patients to book and change medical appointments online and receive text reminders. Currently trialled in ten hospitals, including Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, it’s hoped that ‘DrDoctor’ will save the NHS tens of millions of pounds by slashing the number of missed appointments
Who can benefit from SMS messaging services?- Hospitals
- Dental surgeries
- Senior care facilities
- Regional health services
- Outpatient departments
- Other medical clinics
- Private practices
- Complementary or alternative health providers
SMS is used to send patients clinical alerts and reminders or to deliver test results, increasing patient safety and engagement. Receipt of messages can even be tracked by the sender. No need to spend hours on the phone or sending letters or emails.
SMS medical alert systems make it possible for patients to receive help in the nick of time. Two-way SMS can also be used to send status updates until qualified help can intervene.
Medical text alerts and reminders can even inform patients about real-time waiting times to avoid arriving or queueing unnecessarily to receive treatment.
StaffSMS messaging can also be used to improve staff communication by effectively reaching an entire employee base simultaneously to notify them of shifts, closures, or other important alerts. Text messages allow healthcare personnel to read and respond at a convenient time. This ultimately leads to more focused work and fewer work hours.
Avoid expensive no shows and find out how to engage more effectively with your patients and staff at your healthcare setting. Get in touch with us at Cosmic SMS to find out how affordable SMS solutions can be used to reduce the high operational costs of your healthcare system.
