Showing posts with label med tech. Show all posts
Showing posts with label med tech. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 18, 2021

How email AI can help your medical practice thrive

The use of AI-powered tools has been increasing around the globe. Chatbots, smart cameras, sorting robots, machine learning-guided text proofreading—the list of artificial intelligence (AI) applications goes on and on.


Email is one area ripe for AI innovation. Forward-thinking healthcare providers can leverage email AI in several ways, such as to protect their inboxes from hackers and to receive transcribed voicemails directly to their inboxes.




AI for email security


According to the FBI Internet Crime Report for 2020, targeted email attacks led to business losses of over $1.8 billion last year, including $29.1 million due to ransomware, often transmitted via email phishing campaigns.

Nearly 30% of all email attacks are launched from a highjacked email account belonging to a trusted employee or outside vendor, including 1.5 million sent from pirated Microsoft 365 accounts on a monthly basis in 2019.

In the face of this unrelenting assault, signature-based email security, whitelisting, and even modern, cloud-native security controls are hopelessly outgunned. From never-before-seen zero-day events, to dynamically generated malware variants that defy detection, attacks are growing ever more inventive and dangerous.

Predictive, AI-based email security is proving to be remarkably effective at protecting against today’s most advanced business email compromise (BEC) scams, phishing attacks, and other rapidly evolving email threats. Applying the Zero Trust security model to machine learning email AI tools provides the best protection.

Machine learning (ML) is a branch of AI that’s focused on recognizing patterns and learning from sets of labeled data to make predictive decisions. In the email security space, ML is shifting the prevailing defense paradigm from a reactive posture focused on chasing down known threats to a proactive approach that recognizes and even anticipates novel threats as quickly as they emerge.

Zero Trust is a security framework requiring all users, whether in or outside an organization’s network, to be authenticated, authorized, and continuously validated before being granted or keeping access to applications and data.

ML can be used in conjunction with the Zero Trust framework to protect your inbox. A predictive algorithm can require a special type of two-factor authentication for every email before it is delivered. In other words, two pieces of evidence must be present to authenticate that an email is truly legitimate.

This new piece of evidence will be unique to your business and change based on time and usage. In other words, it is difficult for bad actors to impersonate.




Visual voicemail


A patient might leave you a voicemail at a time when you cannot listen to the message in private. This opens you up to a HIPAA violation if someone overhears a voicemail containing PHI.

Visual voicemail leverages AI to automatically transcribe a voicemail into text, thereby eliminating the need to listen to incoming messages. Instead, the content of the message can be sent via HIPAA compliant email, along with the original sound recording file. As a result, you limit the risk of having others overhear potentially sensitive information.

Visual voicemail also saves you time because you don’t have to sign in to retrieve your messages or listen to a message multiple times. It provides access to messages from beyond your desk, on any digital device, making it a valuable tool for remote workers and distributed teams.


Conclusion


AI can be leveraged to solve innumerable business problems, including in the healthcare realm.

Predictive, AI-based email security which leverages the Zero Trust framework is already playing a very real, important role in helping thousands of industry-leading companies block email threats.

At the same time, by sending transcribed voicemails to your inbox, AI can keep your staff from unwittingly committing a HIPAA violation when they listen to patient messages in public.

These are only two examples of how email AI can help your healthcare business, but the sky's the limit.


15% Off Medical Practice Supplies


VIEW ALL



Manual Prescription Pad (Large - Yellow)


Manual Prescription Pad (Large - Pink)

Manual Prescription Pads (Bright Orange)

Manual Prescription Pads (Light Pink)

Manual Prescription Pads (Light Yellow)

Manual Prescription Pad (Large - Blue)

Manual Prescription Pad (Large - White)


VIEW ALL

Thursday, August 12, 2021

Getting patients enrolled in text messaging

How do you go about getting consent for texting promotional and transactional messages to hundreds or thousands of new and existing patients?


Explain the benefits of text messaging


You must clearly explain the benefits of text messaging to your patients.

Explain that text messaging will allow patients to receive urgent office announcements. Tell them that they will remind them about overdue follow up appointments. Mention that texts will make it easier for them to reschedule appointments and be reminded of them.
Plan opt-in communications for text messaging

You must also come up with a brief communication plan. How, specifically, are you going to alert patients conveniently?

There are at least five ways to get new and existing patients enrolled for promotional text messages. Some of them require modifications to your intake process.


1. Website Text Messaging Sign Up Form


Set up a website form which encrypts traffic for text messaging enrollments.

You can still allow patients to enroll if you have not set up text messaging yet. Just mention that text message updates are “coming soon” for your practice.

The form should capture the person’s name, mobile number, email address, and consent. It should not identify a patient relationship with the person, if possible. It should include language to allow you to send promotional messages to the individual.

You can hire a developer to integrate the form with your EHR. (Your EHR must have a flexible API and support text messaging for this integration to make sense.)

A website text messaging sign-up form, by itself, will not enroll most of your patient population. It is important to have multiple approaches to encourage sign ups.




2. Ask for Text Messaging Sign Ups During Patient Intake


The best way to enroll new patients for text messaging is during your normal intake process. Why?

First, it is easier for the patient. The patient already expects to complete paperwork when they check-in. When you include text messaging consent and opt-in during patient check-in, your patient should not complain. As a result, your enrollments may increase quickly.

Second, it is easier for your team. Instead of building a new process and training staff, you are incorporating what you need into an existing process. Ask your front desk to include one additional form in the material they hand to the patient.

Asking for text message sign ups during patient intake is not the best way to enroll your existing patients in text messaging.

To enroll existing patients, you will need a varied communication plan. This plan should include email/blog opt-ins, social media, and signage.


3. Offer Text Messaging Opt-Ins in Emails or Blog


Text messaging alerts pair well with a consistent blog or email newsletter.

You can use texts to alert your most engaged patients to educational matters about their health.

If you are an ENT, for example, you might create an article about how to manage allergies before the spring. You could send a text message alert so that your patients have this important information. Or, you might provide important recommendations to your patients during a regional health emergency.

But your blog or emails can also increase text messaging opt-ins.

First, update your email signature to include a link to your text message opt-in web form. Whenever your team emails patients, they may click this link and enroll.

Second, create an email marketing campaign for existing patients. In this email, announce that your practice has enabled text message alerts. Include a link to your opt-in web form and mention how your patients will benefit personally.

Finally, if you have a blog, you can use it to encourage text message sign ups. At the bottom of every blog article, include a link to your web form where patients can opt-in to text message alerts.

Just as text message alerts can draw attention to your articles, your emails and blog articles can help improve text messaging opt-ins.


4. Offer Text Messaging Promotional Alerts on Social Media


Social media sites like Facebook, Google My Business, and LinkedIn can help you boost text message enrollment.

First, update your profiles to include a link to your text message opt-in web form. When people check out your page, they will know how to set up texting alerts.

Second, periodically create posts mentioning your text messaging alert capabilities. Be sure that these posts highlight the benefits to your patients and clients.


5. Add Text Messaging Sign Up Signs in Office


Create simple signs for your office to get your patients enrolled in text messaging alerts.

The signs should direct patients to your text message opt-in web form. The signs can also direct patients to the front desk if they have difficulty with the web form. Some people are less comfortable with technology and need help.

These signs should be simple with a large font size. Do not include more than five lines of text. Keep each line shorter than fifty characters.

You might include your practice’s logo in the corner of the sign. Each sign should be in a central area and catch your patients’ attention.




Keeping Patients Enrolled


Once you have patients enrolled, do not abuse the privilege!

Once a patient opts out of your texting service, they are unlikely to reenroll. Therefore, set limits for each type of text message. Then, schedule the messages ahead of time for maximum impact.

Using technology to schedule your patient text messages is not only effective, it saves you time. You do not have to remember to text each individual patient manually.

You will need to select a HIPAA compliant text messaging app to schedule patient texts.

Or, if you have access to a developer, you can use Twilio’s API to build your own texting tool. Just make sure that you enter a Business Associate’s Agreement with Twilio.

The purpose of the text message will determine when you should schedule it. Appointment reminders are most effective shortly before the visit. But payment reminders may be sent long after the date of service.

Some text messaging apps can halt sending messages after the action (e.g., payment, survey) is completed. If your app cannot, then only send a maximum of two text messages.

Schedule appointment reminder text messages to go out:
48 hours prior to the scheduled appointment
12 hours prior to the scheduled appointment
2 hours prior to the scheduled appointment

Schedule feedback and rating text messages to go out:
Immediately after the appointment
Three days after the appointment
One week after the appointment



Schedule payment and billing reminder text messages to go out:
As soon as the patient payment responsibility is determined
One week after patient payment responsibility is determined
One month after patient payment responsibility is determined
Two months after patient payment responsibility is determined
Three months after patient payment responsibility is determined, as a final reminder



Schedule recall reminder, compliance, and preventive health text messages to go out:
On the date that the intended action is due
One week after the due date
One month after the due date


15% Off Medical Practice Supplies


VIEW ALL



Manual Prescription Pad (Large - Yellow)


Manual Prescription Pad (Large - Pink)

Manual Prescription Pads (Bright Orange)

Manual Prescription Pads (Light Pink)

Manual Prescription Pads (Light Yellow)

Manual Prescription Pad (Large - Blue)

Manual Prescription Pad (Large - White)


VIEW ALL