How Healthcare Communications Solutions Lead to Improved Patient Outcomes

As we approach 2020, medical technology continues to evolve and change rapidly. Patients demand outcome-based medical care; predictive analytics, machine learning and emerging technologies are forging the path to get to there. But perhaps the most significant advancement so far are the newest communications solutions in healthcare. Phone systems for medical office locations must now meet higher standards and even greater demand than ever before. Let's explore how healthcare communications are changing as communications solutions step up to meet demands.

PRI Trunk Healthcare Phone Systems

Primary rate interface (PRI) phone systems are one of the newest competitive advantage in healthcare, which is why their usage continues to surge. These phone systems give large medical offices the reliability they need to always stay connected in a fully scalable model that can grow with them.

PRI communications solutions work with very “normally functioning” phones that receive and transmit signals through a state-of-the-art fiber-optic network. It's fast, clear, reliable and can significantly reduce long distance charges. Because of how efficient this technology is, it can effectively handle up to 23 calls simultaneously and be expanded to support many more.

Healthcare organizations have cut costs and improved patient care at the same time through these more efficient healthcare communications systems. Healthcare benefits specifically because this is the industry in which seconds matter. And the reliability of the phone system could literally be the difference between life or death.

Telemedicine Phone Systems for Medical Office Communications

Improved communications solutions like these make telemedicine a real possibility by providing:

• Reliability
• User-friendliness
• Cost-savings
• Video-conferencing capabilities

Before current technologies that could integrate video with telephone, video conferencing with patients to make diagnoses or treatment decisions were unheard of. But because of this technology, these modern alternatives to a traditional office visit possible:

• Video appointments with a doctor
• Real-time monitoring of the sick or elderly
• Ability to make decisions remotely

As the reliability, high-quality and cost-effectiveness of these video feeds make telemedicine a viable option for the first time, analysts anticipate that telemedicine will become a $100 billion industry within the next five to seven years.

How Medical Office Phone Etiquette May Change

Improved communications options open up a whole new set of options, making it easier to:

• Conference with a patient and caregiver
• Keep patients informed with a medical office phone message script for every occasion
• Integrate voice response systems and menus
• Always provide patients with a seamless patient experience
• Set up automated appointment reminders

With expanding options for connecting with patients, we will need to develop best practices surrounding the technology and ask questions like:

• When is video-conferencing a viable alternative to an in-office visit or phone call?
• How should menus and phone messages be used to improve patient experience?
• How can we maximize our use of enhanced communications solutions like these to improve patient care?

Medical Office Phone Scripts

With PRI, comes greater flexibility with medical office phone scripts that lets us go beyond hold music and a medical office phone message script or two.

In fact, now medical office phone scripts can be tailored to meet the needs based of the specific patients we care for including:

• Tips for diabetes management
• How to spot the first signs of gingivitis
• Importance of scheduling a colonoscopy

Additionally, we can create multiple scripts for various occasions, such as:

• Our office hours are... If this is an emergency, please call 911.
• We're closed due to inclement weather...
• For a limited time, when you refer a new patient, you'll get...

The medical office phone scripts options are quite endless. PRI phone systems for medical office communications make it easy to create and alternate half a dozen or hundreds of medical office phone scripts.

Healthcare Communications Solutions Help Improve Patient Care

Healthcare phone systems today are changing the way we care for patients. They're streamlining processes while providing the reliable communications solutions that healthcare needs to meet demand and improve patient outcomes.

Download Infographic

Get a quick overview of medical office phone message script with this easy-to-read infographic from Cable ONE Business. Download here.

Learn More Today!

Review Cable ONE Small Business Phone and PRI Trunk Phone Services to learn more about the options available for your business.

Citations:
Sherry, James. “Telemedicine Market Size to Reach USD 113.1 Billion by 2025: Grand View Research, Inc.” MarketWatch, MarketWatch, 6 Dec. 2016, www.marketwatch.com/story/telemedicine-market-size-to-reach-usd-1131-billion-by-2025-grand-view-research-inc-2016-12-06.