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J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 1 • O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y . N E T • 2 7 Full-service platform Hetland finds the HIPAA-secure text messaging app the best way to communicate with patients. When the facility introduced the patient portal to try and reduce the unman- ageable amount of phone traffic, patients had to log into the system or check their e- mails to gain access, which wasn't efficient. With only three in 10 patients signing on to use the portal, appointment reminders went unread. That led to no- shows and low overall patient satisfaction levels. If patients did check in, there wasn't a mechanism for the staff to send an immediate personal reply, which also led to poor patient experiences. More than nine in 10 Hetland patients currently use the app. Clinical staff who used to answer phones to help already swamped employees at the front desk have returned to only providing patient care. The app acts as a receptionist that provides patients with appointment reminders, and pre- and post-op instructions. There is a template section that allows Hetland to create individualized instructions, or group the information based on procedure type. Since March, the facility has questioned patients remotely about potential close contact with COVID- 19 positive individuals and doled out explanations about its expanded cleaning practices, infection pre- vention protocols, and patient screening and testing measures. The enhanced communication with patients has allowed Hetland to easily trumpet its ramped-up safety protocols and put patients' minds at ease about undergoing surgery during a pandemic. If you're in the market for a communication app, convenience is key. Hetland's app has a feature that allows patients to sign documents electronically. This reduces the time spent in the facility's waiting area, something that is not only a patient-satisfier but, in the era of COVID-19, a key public health measure. The system also links to the facility's and patient's EMR. Any text that is sent can be uploaded into the electronic records with just two clicks of a mouse. As the pandemic raged on, the app vendor even expanded upon its existing platform. For instance, it added a Zoom-like feature that allows for one-on- one consultations. Video snippets from the sessions can also be securely uploaded to EMRs and become parts of patients' charts. Fridays are heavy surgery days at Hetland, which makes the app crucial for patients asking about dis- charge instructions the next day. Those with ques- tions on a Saturday can reach the staff and get a quick response. "They almost always get an instant reply from us," says Ms. Parker. "We often can have a full text conversation in less than two minutes, when an average phone call can take three to 12 minutes." Discharge instructions are accompanied by satis- faction surveys. If comments are favorable, Hetland can link them to their website for potential patients to see. If the facility receives a low rating, the text response gets relayed directly to leadership. This is a critical feature for any facility because, if your facility receives an unfavorable response, you're alerted right away and can make a quick personal phone call to discuss the patient's concerns and mitigate any permanent reputation damage. With communication apps, you want patients to have multiple options — access to the texts from a computer or tablet, not just a phone. Ms. Parker says Hetland's app is user-friendly enough that many eld- erly patients use it seamlessly. The most complicated thing a patient has to do is click on a hyperlink. She says the app, purchased in a pre-COVID era, has become a necessity during the pandemic. "The app was a game-changer for us in 2018," says Ms. Parker. "In 2020, it was a lifesaver." Forward thinking The use of telemedicine in general was increasing before COVID-19, and the pandemic may have given it the jumpstart it needed to make virtual visits, chat-based interactions, remote patient monitoring and remote physical therapy care the norm. Patients are coming to expect virtual offerings, says Joseph C. Kvedar, MD, board chairman of the The app was a game-changer for us in 2018. In 2020, it was a lifesaver. — Stefanie Parker