How To Create A Good Patient Experience With A Mobile Health Business

Mobile technology is being increasingly used in the field of healthcare. Although this may look different for your practice, depending on the size of your business and the services you offer, the features offered by mobile health are guaranteed to optimize the delivery of healthcare services. The vast advantages of implementing mobile health in your practice are reflected in the growing industry, and two-thirds of the largest hospitals in the US offer mobile healthcare apps. Regardless of what field of healthcare you work in, implementing mobile health features will allow you to stay connected with your clients and other healthcare professionals. Many mobile health systems are integrated with other features designed to optimize your practice’s efficiency and workflow, including appointment scheduling, online payments, medical billing, and clinical documentation. If you are interested in staying competitive within the healthcare industry, it is time to introduce mobile technology into your business.

Ownership and use of mobile devices have skyrocketed in the past decade, and in today’s age, not owning a mobile phone is an extremely uncommon phenomenon. Mobile health targets the frequency with which people use their devices by utilizing new forms of technology to deliver healthcare services. As this industry grows, the advantages of mobile healthcare are becoming more and more transparent. Some of these benefits include:

• Faster access: A mobile health app gives patients and physicians immediate access to communication channels, clinical notes, and medical data. Patients are able to schedule appointments with clinicians with much greater flexibility, eliminating the need to phone or go into a clinic to book an appointment. These apps often have a direct two-way messaging channel that allows physicians and patients to contact each other either in the case of an emergency, or simply to raise any questions or concerns.
• Remote monitoring: Certain patients, particularly those who live with a chronic illness or are elderly, require near-constant monitoring. Remaining in in-patient care or having excessively frequent doctors appointments can be highly restrictive and negatively impact their day-to-day life. Mobile health allows doctors and physicians to remotely monitor their patients, improve the quality of life of some clients, whilst ensuring that their safety is still the number one priority. ‍
• Communication: One of the greatest advantages of mobile health is the way that the technology facilitates more effective communication between physicians, patients, and colleagues. Staff members can stay up to date about each other’s workloads, and easily submit and receive referrals from other providers. Patients have a more direct method of reaching out to their physicians, who in turn are notified of patient admissions, discharges, and transfers in real-time. Effective communication is an often overlooked aspect of operating a successful healthcare business that is significantly assisted through the use of mobile technology.

Consumer-based care is quickly becoming the framework for all healthcare practices. Clients are more interested in the transparency of their care and want to be as involved as possible in the treatment process. Whilst traditionally there has been a fairly significant gap between physicians and patients, advancements in mobile health technology have been designed to bridge this gap. Implementing mobile technology into your practice will allow you to focus on the changing needs of your patients and prioritize a good patient experience. 

Inadequate communication contributes to massive financial losses in the healthcare industry, and can also negatively influence clinical outcomes. Specifically, instances of miscommunication were reported to have led to over 80% of serious medical errors. These types of mistakes are largely avoidable, and rectifying them should always be a priority. So what role does mobile health play? 

The healthcare system can be a complex system for patients to navigate. With mobile health technology, they are given a single platform from which they can access every resource relevant to receiving healthcare. Mobile health apps allow patients to schedule their own appointments, communicate with physicians, and view their medical records. Further, many patients report difficulty in understanding their symptoms, conditions, and treatment process. Mobile platforms collate all of the information pertaining to an individual’s medical status, allowing them to be constantly informed of their own health. These features guarantee transparency throughout the treatment process and allow patients to play a more significant role in managing their own care. 

Transferring patients between departments, facilities, and providers is a frequently occurring aspect of receiving healthcare. Often, these transfers are either delayed or riddled with complications as the relevant providers fail to have the relevant medical information required to treat the patient. Mobile health technology provides a single secure platform containing the patient’s entire medical history that is updated in real-time. Using these systems will guarantee optimized continuity of care, and ensure that patient transfers are as seamless as possible.

Direct channels of communication between physicians and patients will help ensure patient needs are being met, and video conferencing software allows clients to access healthcare remotely. Remote healthcare is becoming increasingly important, particularly for people who live in rural areas and don’t have access to specialist physicians. Further, developments in health technology now allow people who have chronic illnesses to be monitored remotely, improving their quality of life and reducing the number of appointments they are otherwise required to have. 

Mobile health is typically integrated with various features, all designed to optimize the patient experience. Importantly, these smart tools also have significant advantages for healthcare teams. Specific software, including appointment scheduling, clinical documentation, medical billing, and online payments streamline administrative tasks and save healthcare practices resources and time. Not only will implementing medical health technology be advantageous for your healthcare team, but it will guarantee a good patient experience.

Whilst some forms of mobile health have been around for decades, the rate that the industry is currently growing is indicative of a new future for healthcare in the USA. Moving in a new direction can be daunting for many businesses, but if you want to stay competitive in your field, it is undoubtedly time to implement mobile health features. Patient engagement and satisfaction have become a leading factor for delivering all types of healthcare, and mobile technology largely caters to this. More importantly, mobile health is addressing certain limitations that are evident within our current healthcare system, particularly in relation to communication issues between patients and physicians. With mobile health, the process of treatment is extremely transparent and patients have constant access to all the information required to make their experience as positive as possible.  

Further Reading:

• The Use of Mobile Health Applications to Improve Patient Experience
• Mobile Devices and Apps for Health Care Professionals: Uses and Benefits