own health care," says Lisa Sershen,
chief digital officer at Westmed Medical.
"But while these digital tools allow us to
text and chat with patients and loved
ones, we'll never step away from the
human touch."
At Bon Secours Surgery Center, though,
half of the patients are older and getting
cataract procedures, so it's worth having a
nurse to make follow-up phone calls. It's
during those phone calls that patients let
staff know that they're feeling great, that
their pain is under control and they're not
nauseous. Patients also sometimes share
their frustrations with how long they had to wait before their proce-
dures started.
"When that happens, we can explain the process and how their situ-
ation led to a wait that was longer than needed," says Mr. Guzik. "A
patient who understands what happened and has the chance to talk
with someone about it is likely to be less critical on a satisfaction sur-
vey."
OSM
O C T O B E R 2 0 1 9 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 9 3
• KEEP IN TOUCH Text message updates are
efficient ways for your staff to send informa-
tion to patients, who appreciate the convenient
method of communication.
