The medical industry is constantly changing and evolving. New diagnostic techniques and treatments and the introduction of new equipment present healthcare providers with much to keep track of. Luckily, there are people who specialize in keeping abreast of all this information: medical VAs. Medical VAs have helped countless doctors and practitioners stay on top of their game by providing support with administrative tasks such as scheduling appointments, filing insurance claims, updating patient records, and more. But how can these assistants bring even more value to your organization? They can help you engage your patients even further! In fact, here are just some ways that hiring a medical VA can increase engagement.
Increase Accessibility
The first and most obvious benefit of medical virtual assistants is that they can provide 24/7 access to healthcare. As the name suggests, this means that you do not have to schedule an appointment with a doctor or nurse, waiting days or weeks for your appointment time. Instead, you can use your mobile device (or computer) at any time of day or night to communicate with a VA.
The second benefit is that VAs can be used to provide healthcare services to patients who have difficulty attending a medical office or clinic. Many people live far away from major cities and do not have access to reliable transportation systems—and even if they do, many cannot afford transportation costs for every visit. In addition, some people are bedridden due to age or illness. VAs can thus be mediators between patients and doctors or nurses. Anyone who cannot leave home or their comfort zone will be able to transfer their medical records electronically.
Enhance Communication
Virtual assistants can be used to communicate with patients.Â
Rather than having a healthcare provider call patients directly, the VA can make all of the calls to keep things running smoothly, ensuring that no one is missed. This can help increase patient engagement as well as compliance with treatment plans.
- Virtual assistants can be used to communicate with other healthcare professionals. Any doctors are too busy or not technologically savvy enough to use email or other means of communication, not requiring them to answer the phone themselves (or actually meet face-to-face). However, VAs have no such limitations–they’re able to send out emails, text messages, and even voice memos right away. Doctors will then have time for their next appointment instead of waiting around for an answer from their patient’s doctor.
- Virtual assistants can be used by family members who want closure after losing someone very important in their life.Â
Much could be due to illness or injury-related factors. Iatrogenic problems may arise from poor hospital staff control.
Lackadaisical scheduling practices leading up to the discharge date could possibly have been prevented. There might have been better communication between nurses working together across floors at different times throughout shift hours, instead of just one shift at once.
VAs to Enhance Patient Engagement
Healthcare VAs can help you improve patient engagement in a variety of ways. In providing patients with the information they need, patients can feel more in control of their own health. And, in giving patients access to their records, you’ll increase trust and confidence in your practice or institution. And by helping patients schedule appointments and pay bills online, you’ll get them out of the waiting room (or off the couch) more quickly. This way, they can get back to their lives without suffering any unnecessary stress or hassle.
When it comes time for your VA agency to choose which providers will have access to these services, make sure that all members of your team are on board before making any such decisions. Some providers might feel that this is an intrusion into their territory. You don’t want anyone feeling left out or left behind—and neither do your patients!
Better Care Coordination
The ability to access patient data from any location or device can help improve care coordination. VAs are able to review and update patient information in real time, which is especially important with patients who frequently change their provider or hospital.
- VAs can use technology to make communication between providers more efficient.
- Patient data from multiple sources can be integrated, including medical records, pharmacy records, and other systems that may be used by an individual provider’s practice or office. This means less time spent on routine tasks such as entering new prescriptions into a database. Instead of spending hours each week entering new drugs into a database (or worse: doing it manually), VAs can spend that time ensuring that each medication order is right for their patient’s specific needs.
- Medical VAs can bring many benefits to healthcare organizations, including higher patient engagement, improved care coordination, and greater access.
- Medical virtual assistants can help improve patient engagement, care coordination, and access to care. They can also improve communication between doctors and nurses, and their patients. This allows for a better quality of care as well as improved efficiency.
Conclusion
Ultimately, there’s no question that healthcare VAs can help improve patient engagement, care coordination, and access to care. If your organization is looking for ways to boost those three areas, it may be time to start considering utilizing medical VAs. This could be a good solution for you.
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