Communicating with Patients During a Crisis: Seven Customer Lessons

Communicating with patients is vitally important, especially during a crisis. RevSpring supports your communication efforts to care and inform your patients and staff—now and always. Our customers are delivering crucial patient messaging in response to COVID-19 across multiple communication channel applications: appointment reminders, statements, and portals.

We wanted to share some of their strategies to support you in delivering important patient messages:

1) Banner Messaging on Payment Portals

Some are sharing updates and timely details on their patient payment portal with clickable banner messaging that links to additional information regarding COVID-19 response, payment policy changes, and other helpful news for patients.

2) Connecting patients to Telemedicine options

Telemedicine is an essential care option for patients and providers. Providers are using their existing engagement channels, such as appointment reminder messaging, to provide direct links to telehealth platforms.

3) Keeping patients safe with updates about their appointments

During a health crisis, patients need timely information about possible symptoms, guidance regarding rescheduling, updated policies on who can attend the appointment, and what their provider is doing to support patients. These messages are being embedded into automated appointment reminders via phone, text, and email to keep patients prepared and informed.

4) Access to patient schedules

Providers and staff sometimes cannot access their EHR system when working remotely. Our appointment reminder portal is cloud-based and available from any internet-connected device. This gives office staff with access to scheduled appointment data the ability to easily send patients communications.

5) Patient Statement Payment Plan Graphics

Some customers are providing new payment options to help patients cope with the economic impacts of the pandemic. They’re adding a special message to their outgoing patient statements promoting payment plan options and extending grace periods for patients who may need more time to fulfill their financial obligations.

6) Office hour changes or closures

Many providers have adjusted their normal office hours or temporarily closed offices to reduce exposure and virus spread. Our customers are communicating such changes by sending mass messages to patients using self-service Broadcast.

7) Contactless Customer Service

Digital payment options—online or pay-by-phone—is another resource our customers are using during this pandemic. Patients benefit from a “contact-free” option for accessing their accounts, updating address and insurance information, setting up a payment plan, or making a payment.

During this uncertain, stressful, and overwhelming time, please remember that RevSpring is your partner in patient communication. And please accept our heartfelt gratitude for your diligent efforts to battle this pandemic. We thank you and honor your tireless efforts.