Automated interactive voice response - IVR - is commonly used as a way of reminding patients about medical appointments. It reduces the number of ‘no shows’ and helps healthcare professionals cut costs.
But the applications of IVR in the healthcare industry go beyond mere appointment reminders. It is also a useful tool for ensuring patients go to those appointments fully prepared. And by easing the pressure on administrative staff and nurses, more attention can be paid to providing high quality care, rather than giving over costly resources to scheduling.
Save Time and Money with IVR
As highly qualified medical staff who have invested years and thousands of dollars in their career, nurses should not be spending time on routine phone calls. Nor should they be manually processing patient records and bills. At the same time, healthcare providers are understandably reluctant to hand over responsibility for sensitive personal and medical information to low paid administrative staff. The availability of IVR means it’s not necessary to compromise on privacy or quality of care.
Automated phone calls can be quickly and affordably set up using an IVR system with prerecorded instructions and patient information. At the touch of a button, patients can respond to messages, either to confirm an appointment or request a new one. Inbound calls can be routed via an IVR phone tree, saving yet more financial and human resources.
Some healthcare providers feel that an automated message will not result in as much patient-doctor engagement as live agents. This is not the case. Multiple studies have shown that IVR calls are equally as effective as live calls. Patients notified or reminded of an appointment by IVR were just as likely to show up.
A successful medical practice is patient centered. Every administrative task should be geared towards providing positive outcomes for the people being served. IVR is one of the most effective tools in making sure healthcare provision is of the highest standard it can be.