The Doctor Will Text You Now: Best Practices for Texts, DMs, and More

Pediatric practices now have plenty of ways to communicate with families and patients. Which methods work best for patient engagement? Are phone calls still effective? In this blog, we’ll cover these and other tools for getting in touch, both online and in real life.

The Doctor Will Text You Now

Text messages are just one method among many that parents and practices can use to get in touch with each other. Now, in addition to physical mail and phone calls, there are telehealth appointments, texts, portal messages, direct emails and email newsletters, social media posts, website forms, and more. There are even ways to contact families through your EHR, like form letters, Broadcast Messaging, and direct texts! With so many options, which are most effective for any given goal, whether getting patients in the door for well-visits or gathering sign-ups for your flu clinic?

Your practice likely has a phone system, and while it’s likely to stick around for the foreseeable future when it comes to reaching out to patients, Americans are simply picking up the phone less often. According to the Pew Research Center, they may ignore phone calls because they don’t recognize the number.

So are phones going the way of the telegram? How should your practice get in touch? Let’s break it down.

Do “Older” Forms of Communication Still ‘Work’?

In short, yes. Phone calls and letters can be effective communication tools for practices to reach families — sometimes. Both methods are expensive: phones because of the labor hours required for staff to place calls, and letters because of printing and mailing costs. So is snail mail ever worth it? It can be!

There are pros and cons to each way of saying “hello.” Here are some:

• Phone calls and voice mails are personal, connecting parents and patients to a natural human voice and connecting that voice to their relationship with your practice. Still, they require significant time investment and may be ineffective for your specific community.
• Physical mail can help families retain complex information, such as new hours or location details, but costs are high depending on your practice size, and there’s no way to know if they’re received.
• Websites are a great way to allow families to complete sign-ups, download forms, access the portal, but due to patient privacy, they can only offer some of the information a parent may need. Friendly reminder: you need a website.
• Broadcast messaging from your EHR is a great way to blast messages to entire practice communities. Like email and newsletters, direct digital mail is cost-effective, low-effort, and sends the same message to all families simultaneously. Like physical mail, you might not know if the message is truly received.
• Texts from your practice can be effective tools for short-form and urgent communications, such as “Please wait in the parking lot” or “Our office is unexpectedly closed today; please wait for a call to reschedule your appointment.”
• Social media can be a fun way to reach patients and remain top-of-mind in your families’ everyday lives.

All of the methods mentioned above have their benefits, including convenience and costs. Still, they also have another thing in common: patient information can be shared carefully or not at all using them, as providers must be aware of what can and cannot be shared under HIPAA laws. When exchanging clinical information, your practice must rely on other communication channels. This is where a quality Patient Portal is key, as it fills the role of home base for patients to find financial, clinical, and private information in a secure location.

PCC’s patient portal, My Kids’ Chart, allows for direct communication with families, and it also works hand in hand with other key tools, such as CHADIS for online screening forms. PCC EHR also offers Patient Pre-Check-In, where families can check the portal and update demographics and balance information before they even leave for your office.

With so many communication options available, it can be overwhelming to determine the best approach for your pediatric practice. The key is to find the right balance -- utilizing a variety of channels to reach families in the ways they prefer, while also maintaining the personal touch that is so important in healthcare.

No matter which methods you choose, the goal should be to strengthen the patient-provider relationship and keep families engaged and informed. By mastering modern communication best practices, your pediatric practice can provide an exceptional experience for the families you serve.