Effective communication is a vital part of the provider-patient relationship. It’s true of 1-on-1 messaging that empowers providers to make accurate diagnoses and treatment plans that patients are more apt to adhere to. And it’s also true of communications meant for your practice’s patient population on a broader scale.
Examples of Mass Communications to Mental Health Patients
Notification of Rate Changes
Patients want to make informed decisions about mental health care, and that includes being informed from a financial standpoint. That’s why explaining pricing changes is important when it comes to effective communication with mental health patients. Your patients won’t be surprised by unexpected financial burdens and can take the steps to explore payment plan options as needed. It shows that your practice values patient well-being, and that you want to avoid any disruption to a patient’s treatment plan and outcomes.
Open Enrollment Reminders
When insurance information is outdated or incorrect, it can cause claims to be denied or delayed. This can result in disruption to a patient’s treatment plan and progress, while also impacting the financial stability of your mental health practice. Sending out an open enrollment reminder that prompts patients to update their insurance information helps to prevent gaps in care. Patients maintain uninterrupted access to mental health services, with fewer hassles for your administrative staff to handle.
New Services or Providers
Maybe your practice has joined the lengthy list of mental health facilities now offering telehealth services. Or perhaps, in the growing job field of mental health therapy, you’ve brought on a new provider to your practice. Either scenario presents a case for sharing the news with your patients. They will appreciate knowing the options they have in their care and what best aligns with their preferences and needs in the long run.
A Provider is Sick
When a therapist is unexpectedly unavailable due to illness, this needs to be promptly communicated to patients that have appointments scheduled with them for that day. It helps reduce any further inconvenience on the part of patients and their family, and lets them quickly get in touch with the office to reschedule their appointment. The communication could also inform patients of a back-up provider that’s available if they would like to keep their existing appointment.
Enabling Mass Communications With Less Administrative Work
When mental health practices need to get the word out about items like those shared above, it has traditionally been a tedious process. Administrators can find themselves either mailing hundreds of letters, spending hours making phone calls, or sending out hundreds of TXT messages (sometimes from their personal phones) to alert patients of these reminders and updates.
The good news is ClinicTracker’s Campaign Builder — one of the many features of our comprehensive behavioral health EHR — makes mass therapeutic communication much easier for mental health practices.
From an intuitive interface, mental health practices can create reminders and updates for a wide range of purposes and target the specific group of recipients. They can even decide if the message should be sent by SMS, email, or voice call. This gives clinics a way to enhance patient engagement and care in a more effortless way.
Interested in seeing Campaign Builder in action? Get your free demo today! You'll see firsthand how Campaign Builder enables more effective communication between healthcare professionals and patients, and ultimately supports a better therapeutic relationship.
