Amid significant disruptions from COVID-19, digital messaging and education brings patients back

Pediatricians have long been concerned about families skipping routine well-child visits. These visits are essential for vaccine delivery, identifying health and development concerns, and providing resources and information to patients. Pediatric Medical Associates (PMA) in Sacramento, experienced a sizable and troubling increase in missed and cancelled visits as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. PMA confronted this challenge head-on, using SmarteXp® to educate and engage families, reverse the trend and reduce the no-shows and appointment cancellations that threatened both their patients' health and their practice.

Crisis Communication Samples and Resources for Healthcare Professionals

UbiCare’s new COVID-19 Resources gallery is a free resource for healthcare professionals. Easily accessible from the UbiCare.com home page, the gallery is packed with examples of how hospitals are using patient engagement technology to stay connected with their patients.

As Director of Woman and Newborn Services at East Jefferson General Hospital in Metairie, Louisiana, I’m keenly aware that we face strong competition for the business of expectant moms and their families. Ours is one of four hospitals in the metro-New Orleans area offering obstetric care, which means there is a lot of competition for new patients.

But we have a competitive advantage. We’ve developed a way to boost our patient relationships early and establish invaluable access, starting in the beginning of pregnancy and continuing through their children’s early years.

Patient Education & Innovative Communication Strategies Drive Success

At UbiCare, we often refer to research showing that medical care has only a 10% – 20%  influence on health outcomes, while patient behaviors and self-care have a 40% – 50% influence. With healthcare providers increasingly pressured to shorten hospital stays and reduce office-visit time, how do you increase the influence a hospital, health system or medical practice has on improving health outcomes outside the hospital or medical office?

Melanie Iannace, Muskuloskeletal Service Coordinator at AtlantiCare joined me recently to tell a  success story in which AtlantiCare and UbiCare collaborated to target health literacy and patient engagement.