Patient Messaging System for Texting Patients

HipLink Connector for Epic

Appropriate messaging plays a major role in improving patient satisfaction and organizational efficiency for many aspects in a healthcare organization. HipLink provides an engine for automatic notification through Epic or any EMR that allows an organization to support across-the-board communication.

HipLink’s Epic Connector can easily give a hospital instant alerts for texting patient information and communication from MyChart as well as internal logistics coordination and operational notifications. The HipLink Bi-directional Connector can be used universally across Epic and other EMRs.

TEXTING PATIENT INFORMATION

While including protected health information (PHI) in a standard SMS text message is not permitted, texting is an effective way to direct patients to the portal or send routine communication and reminders.  This saves staff from having to initiate outbound calls.

By leveraging the conversational nature of text messaging a hospital can take advantage of this valuable communication asset. With a two-way EMR integration your staff doesn’t need to learn how to use a new system for patient notification and your EMR remains the source of truth. 

Patient texting or voice messages provide pro-active, near real-time engagement with patients. With over 85% of patients opting in for text notifications, patient satisfaction soars with implementation of this service.

Appointment Reminders & Confirmations

Missed clinic appointments or no-shows significantly impact continuity of care and clinical productivity not to mention revenue.  The average no-show rate across the country is 19% with some areas and specialties as high as 30%. The problem not only affects the organization’s ability to provide continuity of care for patients who fail to show impacting their own care but they also deny others the opportunity for a timely appointment.

Using HipLink you can send a bi-directional Appointment Confirmation asking for a response to either confirm or cancel an appointment.  The system can take automatic action based on the response.  Subsequent reminders can be sent the day before or day of the appointment with the time and address further reducing no-shows and improving on-time arrival.  Reminders reduce lost revenue due to missed appointments from 5% to as much as 20%.

Automatically Fill Cancellations from Wait List 

By automating wait lists, technology can make the process better for patients and staff. Based on a cancellation, HipLink can immediately alert patients on the waitlist of an opening through text, voice, or email, rather than requiring a staff member to call each individual patient to fill the slot.  This assists in shortening the patient appointment waiting list and allow for patients to take advantage of last minute openings with their provider.

OR Family Updates & Surgery Discharge Coordination

The same HipLink system can send automatic status updates to families of surgery patients via text messages when the patient status changes in Epic.  This can ease family members’ stress by giving them timely information with no special app required and virtually effortless for your OR staff.

Automatic status notifications to waiting families can result in a more positive experience and better reviews.

Patient Portal Engagement

Direct patients to their MyChart portal with registration links, for important updates, or lab results.

Patient Arrival Notification

Patients can reply to a ‘day-of’ appointment reminder when they arrive onsite. This allows patients to wait in their vehicles or other designated area to reduce time in waiting rooms.

Covid Recommendations and Follow-up Adherence

Send links with special care instructions, video information links, and recommendations for care, along with phone numbers for questions.

For vaccines, text-based reminders can help ensure second dose compliance.

Billing and Account Reminders

SMS can be used to send a brief text reminder of the bill and provide the patient a link to the payment site. If a payment method is on file, the patient can authorize payment via text confirmation. Both methods improve A/R days outstanding.

HOSPITAL OPERATIONS

In addition to patient communication, by connecting HipLink to Epic, a hospital can send alerts via SMS or to a pager from any module that has email output.

Examples include:

• Bed tracking for coordination of housekeeping
• IV consult orders
• Unit census
• Pending admissions in ED
• Patient placement
• Other custom workflows

BENEFITS FOR EVERYONE

Hospital

• Maximize revenue potential through fewer "no-shows“
• Boost marketing efforts with improved patient engagement
• Improve patient discharge coordination by keeping key people in the loop
• Coordinate staff and manage workflow
• Improve efficiency
• Control costs

Nurses

• Engaging family members via text messaging improves satisfaction
• No extra work, messages can be triggered automatically from the EMR system
• More information equals less tension in the waiting room
• Enables family members to comfortably leave the waiting room knowing they will not miss critical updates

Patients

• Increase Patient Portal Adoption with reminders
• Ease family members’ stress by giving them timely information
• Simplify the coordination of family member briefings
• Receive notification when a patient has been prepared for a procedure
• Engagement to improve outcomes