3 Ways Hospitals Benefit from Mass SMS

Many modern-day hospitals are using mass SMS as a communications tool, and it’s easy to understand why. SMS is a fast, effective means of reaching hospital employees and patients. Open rates for messages are high and the majority of texts are read within a few short moments of receipt.

 

 

If you are interested in using mass SMS for your hospital or currently seeking an alternative to the NHS SMS platform which will be shut down on 31 March, FireText may be able to provide you with the flexible solution you’re seeking. Here are some of the ways hospitals can benefit from mass SMS.

Improved Efficiency

There are often many staff members involved in the care of one patient. Sometimes cases are complex, and treatment requires the input of various nurses and physicians. Older methods of communication like pagers and intercom announcements are inefficient at best when you need to reach another hospital staff member. Pagers typically don’t assign priority to cases, making it challenging to determine how urgent a certain matter is or how quickly another staff member needs an answer to a question in order to move forward with a medical procedure. Mass SMS allows hospital staff to stay up-to-date with complex patient cases and effectively prioritize if an urgent situation arises.

Increased Reach among Physicians

Hospital structures vary. Often, collaborating physicians are spread out across buildings and departments, treating patients in different areas of the hospital. Some hospitals also have outreach programs in place, and doctors may spend time in a community clinic or another off-site location. Mass SMS can help physicians stay connected with they are working off-site. It can also be used as a communications tool for other hospitals. For example, let’s say a physician at your hospital is working with a program that helps provide better access to healthcare for patients in remote areas. Even if that physician is working overseas, mass SMS can help that doctor stay in touch with others at your hospital. It’s an inexpensive solution that can be easily implemented and used as an ongoing communications tool both domestically and internationally.

Reduced Frequency of Missed Appointments

One of the biggest benefits of implementing a mass SMS system for your hospital is that it can potentially reduce the frequency of missed patient appointments. Automated texts can be sent to patients to remind them of upcoming outpatient or general practitioner visits. According to the British Journal of Healthcare Computing, nearly 50 percent of missed doctor visits are because patients simply forgot about their appointment. Missed appointments cost UK hospitals millions of dollars each year. Consider implementing a mass SMS system to send out appointment reminders and reduce costs.

Mass SMS can help physicians and staff stay connected no matter where they are located geographically.

 

Mass SMS is used frequently in the healthcare industry. It allows for more efficient communication, increased collaboration among hospital staff and physicians who may be working remotely, and reduces the frequency of missed patient appointments. It may even save lives! If you are interested in getting started with mass SMS for your hospital, try FireText for free today.

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