Frequently Asked
Questions

Yes. According to the Pew Research Center, 97% of people earning less than $30,000 per year have a cell phone, and 76% of people earning less than $30,000 per year have a smartphone.

Yes. According to the Pew Research Center, 92% of people over the age of 65 have a cell phone, and 61% of people over the age of 65 have a smartphone.

SMS text has a 98% open rate versus a 20% open rate for email.

While there will always be people who wish to be mailed paper, this method is declining in popularity due to its long transmission time (days), and lack of interactivity.

Regarding fax machines, the overwhelming majority of U.S. households do not own a fax machine. Fax as a method of patient communication is extinct.

Yes. Quality Reviews, working collaboratively with the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), created a crosswalk of Quality Reviews’ questions to the nine patient satisfaction categories (see below) delineated in 2014 and 2019 Magnet® Application Manuals. This crosswalk was approved by ANCC in November 2017.

Patient engagement / patient-centered care
Care coordination
Safety
Service recovery (maybe ambulatory)
Courtesy and respect
Responsiveness
Patient Education
Pain
Careful Listening

Yes, you can use Q Reviews on the inpatient side as long as the questions are not HCAHPS-like. Healthcare providers are permitted to use rounding solutions that are “intended to provide or assess clinical care or promote patient/family well-being” (quote from the HCAHPS Guidelines). Here are examples of questions that can be asked in the inpatient setting are (as per CMS):

• “Are the nurses answering your questions?”
• “Please share with us how we could improve your hospital stay.”
• “Tell us about your stay.”
• “Did your doctor/nurse address any communication barriers regarding information about your healthcare?”
• “Was our staff attentive to your needs?”

To further quote the HCAHPS Guidelines regarding asking patients questions in the inpatient setting:

“If patients are asked survey questions during their inpatient stay, we strongly suggest that such questions be worded in a neutral tone and are not tilted toward a particular response. In addition, CMS strongly recommends survey questions do not resemble HCAHPS items or their response categories. Hospitals are strongly encouraged to focus on overall quality of care rather than the HCAHPS measures reported to CMS.”

Yes. CMS permits healthcare providers to use other surveys besides OAS CAHPS in the ambulatory surgery setting. When using another survey, the facility cannot include any of the OAS CAHPS questions or similar questions. Here is a link to the full OAS CAHPS Guidelines. Pages 18 and 19 are pertinent to this question.

Yes. Healthcare organizations are permitted to send SMS text messages to patients as long as:

1. The patient has given express consent.
2. The message contains healthcare-related content, specifically: appointment and exam confirmations and reminders, wellness checkups, hospital pre-registration instructions, pre-operative instructions, lab results, post-discharge follow-ups intended to prevent readmission, prescription notifications, and home healthcare.
3. The message does not include telemarketing, solicitation, or advertising content, or include accounting, billing, debt-collection, or other financial content.

Regarding express consent, on July 10, 2015, the FCC issued a Declaratory Ruling and Order of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) that clarified express consent:

We clarify, therefore, that the provision of a phone number to a healthcare provider constitutes prior express consent for healthcare calls subject to HIPAA by a HIPAA-covered entity and business associates acting on its behalf, as defined by HIPAA, if the covered entities and business associates are making calls within the scope of the consent given, and absent instructions to the contrary.

In other words, the act of a patient giving his / her phone number to a healthcare organization counts as express consent to be called. Note that the TCPA treats SMS texts and voice calls as the same.

Digital patient engagement matters for several key reasons, all of which contribute to improved healthcare outcomes, enhanced patient experience, and more efficient healthcare delivery. Here’s an overview of why it’s so important:

Improved Health Outcomes: Digital tools can enable more consistent and proactive management of health conditions. For example, apps that remind patients to take their medications, monitor their symptoms, or follow their treatment plans can lead to better adherence and health outcomes.

Enhanced Patient Experience: Digital engagement tools offer convenience and accessibility, making it easier for patients to access healthcare services. This can include scheduling appointments, accessing test results, communicating with healthcare providers, and obtaining health information, all of which contribute to a more positive patient experience.

Increased Access to Care: Digital platforms can extend the reach of healthcare services, making them more accessible to people in remote or underserved areas. Telehealth services, for instance, allow patients to consult with healthcare providers without the need for physical travel.

Empowerment and Education: Digital engagement empowers patients by providing them with more information and control over their healthcare. Educational resources, health tracking apps, and access to personal health records can help patients make informed decisions about their care.

Enhanced Communication: Digital tools facilitate better communication between patients and healthcare providers. Secure messaging, email, and virtual visits make it easier for patients to ask questions, report symptoms, and receive advice.

Cost-Effectiveness: By streamlining processes and reducing the need for in-person visits for routine follow-ups or minor issues, digital patient engagement can reduce healthcare costs. It can also help in early intervention, preventing more serious and costly health issues down the line.

Data Collection and Analysis: Digital tools can collect vast amounts of health data, which can be used to track health trends, improve care, and personalize treatment plans. This data can also contribute to medical research and the development of new treatments.

Chronic Disease Management: For patients with chronic conditions, digital engagement tools can be particularly beneficial. They can help in regular monitoring and managing the complexities of their condition, improving their quality of life.

Mental Health Support: Digital platforms can also provide mental health support, offering resources like therapy apps, online counseling, and support groups, which can be especially valuable for those who might not have easy access to traditional mental health services.

Response to Public Health Emergencies: As seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, digital engagement tools can be crucial in responding to public health emergencies by providing reliable information, telehealth services, and remote monitoring.

Digital patient engagement is pivotal in modern healthcare as it contributes to better health outcomes, patient empowerment, enhanced access to care, and overall improvement in the efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare services.

There is a direct correlation between patient experience and service recovery response times. The quicker the response to a negative issue, the higher the patient experience. Here are reasons why real-time messaging for service recovery is important:

Direct Impact: Quick service recovery can directly impact patient experience. When a healthcare provider organization responds promptly to a service failure, it demonstrates to the patient that they are valued and that their concerns are taken seriously. This can quickly turn a negative experience into a positive one, potentially increasing patient satisfaction.

Building Trust: Speedy and efficient service recovery can build trust. Patients understand that mistakes happen, but a fast response can show that a healthcare institution is responsible and trustworthy.

Repeat Business and Loyalty: Patients who experience swift and effective service recovery are more likely to do repeat business. This is because their overall satisfaction includes not just the product or service but also how issues are handled.

Word of Mouth: Satisfied patients are more likely to recommend their healthcare provider to others. Efficient service recovery can turn a potentially negative word-of-mouth situation into a positive endorsement.

Long-Term Loyalty vs. Short-Term Satisfaction: While fast service recovery can immediately improve patient satisfaction, building long-term loyalty requires consistent quality service, including but not limited to service recovery efforts.

Yes. Because we integrate with EMR and scheduling systems using HL7, FHIR, and APIs, we can send SMS text messages to patients instantly at all points along the care journey. Our definition of real-time is instant – not hours, days, or weeks after a care episode.

While over 90% of health systems offer online patient portals, only 15-30% of patients use these portals. Electronic medical record systems do not offer the user-friendly, intuitive, and interactive digital engagement solutions that patients as consumers have grown accustomed to outside of their healthcare lives. EMRs cannot present patients with rich media such as videos of providers offering instructions before a procedure, or interactive checklists during discharge planning and care at home. EMRs are designed to capture clinical and billing information within the four walls of a healthcare institution. EMRs do not have the capability to interact with patients at a digital consumer-friendly level that leverages the advanced graphics of today’s smartphone.

Yes. We integrate with most EHR / EMR systems including but not limited to:

· Epic
· Cerner
· Athenahealth
· Allscripts
· eClinicalworks
· Meditech
· GE Centricity
· Greenway
· NextGen

We can integrate using any number of data transmission methods, including HL7, FHIR, SFTP, or APIs.