Covid-19 has changed the way healthcare providers interact and treat their patients. Social distancing and quarantine protocols and a high rate of the covid-19 virus have further reduced patients' visits to healthcare providers. However, the need for good health care and treatment management has increased by several degrees. In such a circumstance, healthcare providers are looking for new ways to engage the patient with modern technology. In this changing patient engagement scenario, healthcare call centers play an important role in providing temporary and appropriate support to patients to improve the patient experience. Let's look at some of the key patient engagement trends that will affect the patient experience in 2022.
- Healthcare providers will receive a higher volume of calls
Because the covid-19 stay at home protocol limits personal interaction, patients now have to rely on telephone and other communication channels to inquire about protection against COVID-19, inquire about various medical procedures, and schedule appointments. As a result, incoming calls to health care systems, such as calls to health care providers, have seen a dramatic increase.
Despite easing the exclusion ban, many patients still remember their physical interactions due to various safety issues. Thus, the number of calls is expected to remain much higher than a few years ago, as more patients will use telephone channels to obtain information and make appointments with doctors. Here, medical call centers can help healthcare providers with the timely and accurate dissemination of information through medical responses and appointment scheduling services.
- Telehealth Instructions
In recent years, we have seen an increase in telehealth visits. The COVID-19 pandemic has further accelerated the admission of patients to telehealth services. Some reputable telehealth providers in the US have reported a 60-80% increase in telemedicine visits since the pandemic.
To ensure greater acceptance, healthcare providers must work to create a seamless telehealth patient experience if you can make sure that every phase of scheduling a telehealth meeting is uninterrupted, from circulating information to scheduling the meeting to monitor the meeting.
A knowledgeable health care call center can ensure that every phase of scheduling telehealth meetings is smooth and ensures a seamless patient experience on the go. As experts say, telehealth is likely to be a new way of healthcare in the future; connecting to a running telehealth train and ensuring a seamless patient experience from the outset can ensure greater business success.
- More patients connect to healthcare providers on mobile devices
The use of mobile devices to contact healthcare providers, download healthcare applications and attend patient telehealth meetings has increased in recent years. However, the healthcare use of mobile phones has increased dramatically since 2020, with many patients limiting their personal interactions with healthcare providers.
Studies have shown that 58% of smartphone users download a medical application, and 62% use a smartphone to examine their health. In addition, 85% of patients make use of their smartphones to connect with their healthcare providers. As mobile devices become more popular, healthcare providers should ensure a seamless mobile experience by 2022, both online and over the phone.
- Patients demand trouble-free Omnichannel experiences
As the use of mobile devices among patients grows rapidly, they are expected to look for a hassle-free omnichannel customer service experience on their way. In order for healthcare providers to gain their business, they must ensure that their patients feel valued and known at every step of their brand journey.
Like consumers, patients now need a positive market experience to stay true to your healthcare brand across all channels. If you don't give your patient a hassle-free experience, you can increase your risk of losing it to your competitors. Ensuring a smooth omnichannel experience for your patients is therefore no longer a pleasant feature for healthcare providers, a requirement that must be met by 2022. Therefore, partnering with a multi-channel healthcare provider may be your best bait to earn loyalty from patients in 2022 and beyond.
- Information security is more crucial than ever
“Since the beginning of the pandemic, medical facilities have been one of the main targets of ransomware attacks and are likely to continue to do so due to a large amount of sensitive personal data.” – Deloitte.
To prevent such data breaches, healthcare providers must ensure HIPAA compliance throughout the organization. Having a HIPAA-compliant healthcare BPO as an outsourcing partner can significantly reduce the risk of data theft and ensure better security. Healthcare call centers are compatible with HIPAA, PCI, and SOC 2 to protect information throughout patient interaction.
Conclusion
The pandemic has significantly affected the healthcare sector and forced it to look for new ways to involve and care for patients. In this new standard, healthcare providers use different communication channels to reach their patients, and healthcare BPOs play an important role in this new regulation. Therefore, it has become necessary to have a HIPAA-compliant healthcare call center with multi-channel and multilingual capabilities that ensure better patient involvement and ensure the best possible patient interaction.
