SMS Healthcare Solutions
SMS for healthcare facilities and providers can drastically reduce no shows and cancellations, while improving patient connections and keeping staff engaged with timely messaging.
How Healthcare SMS
Fits Into Your Practice
Grow Your Patient List
SMS Appointment Reminders
Trackable Links
Text Automation
Patient Education
Conversational Texting
It’s Easy to Start, Send &
Scale with EZ Texting
See How Healthcare Providers Use SMS
Benefits of Text Messaging in Healthcare
Keep Healthcare Staff Informed & Engaged
- Recruit qualified healthcare candidates and accelerate hiring with reminders and links.
- Notify all your staff instantly about open shifts, and fill them just as quickly.
- During events, keep staff where they need to be, when they need to be there.
Grow Your Healthcare Business
- Grow your patient list using a direct channel with ROI that beats email.
- Keep the calendar full by sending annual checkup and routine appointment reminders.
- Stay in the black with a simple account status reminder and a link to remit payment.
TCPA Compliance: Above & Beyond
functionality, and SafeSTOP, to add required opt-out messaging with one simple click.
Is SMS HIPAA Compliant?
No, SMS is not inherently HIPAA compliant, but it does not prohibit healthcare professionals from sending text messages (such as appointment reminders) to patients. The purpose of the Health and Human Services regulation is to maintain the confidentiality and integrity of protected health information (PHI), such as test results.
Medical professionals should refrain from texting medical information that is personal, sensitive, and specific from a platform that is not HIPAA compliant.
Powerful SMS Features
Dedicated Short Codes
Campaign Calendar
MMS Picture Messaging
Healthcare Integrations
Connect your Connect your healthcare system to critical online tools, such as patient or staff management software, talent sourcing products, CRM tools, payment processors, and more. Including:
- Clinicminds
- ClinicSoftware
- Inflowcare
- NextGen Healthcare
- Smartsheet
Learn More About SMS for Healthcare
Frequently Asked Questions
The benefits of using SMS marketing for healthcare include establishing instant communication with patients and ensures timely information dissemination, appointment reminders, and essential updates. By leveraging automated SMS reminders, healthcare providers can significantly reduce no-show rates, enhancing operational efficiency and resource allocation. SMS text messaging is also an effective platform for sharing health tips, educational content, and preventive measures, fostering patient engagement and wellness. Here is a list of additional benefits SMS marketing offers healthcare providers:
- Reduced administrative burden
- Cost-effective communication
- Personalized care
- Polls, feedback, and surveys
SMS marketing transforms healthcare communication, enhancing patient engagement, promoting wellness, and optimizing operational efficiency in a patient-centric manner. SMS text marketing for healthcare serves a wide variety of use cases, including:
- Follow-up & post-appointment instructions
- Appointment reminders
- Feedback and ratings
- Emergency alerts
- Lab result notifications
- Health screening reminders
- Medication adherence
- Wellness campaigns
Gain more insight into SMS marketing use cases here.
Ensuring patient data privacy in SMS marketing within healthcare involves several key steps:
- Choose a HIPAA-compliant SMS platform.
- Use an SMS platform, like EZ Texting, offering end-to-end encryption and secure data storage.
- Always obtain customer or patient consent before sending any SMS communications.
- Avoid sending messages that include sensitive patient identifiers.
- Do not share detailed medical information through SMS.
- Secure access to their SMS marketing accounts with strong passwords.
- Train staff on the importance of patient data privacy and security in SMS communications.
- Regularly audit and monitor SMS communications to identify any unauthorized activities.
HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) significantly impacts SMS text marketing in healthcare. It mandates strict standards to ensure the confidentiality, security, and privacy of customers’ or patients' sensitive health information when communicating electronically, including text messages.
Learn more about SMS HIPAA compliance here.
Additional best practices for using SMS marketing in healthcare include:
- Targeted Messaging: Send relevant messages tailored to patient preferences, ensuring engagement and relevance.
- Opt-Out Option: Provide patients with an easy way to opt out of SMS communications if they choose to (SafeSTOP®).
- Clear Call to Action: Clearly state the desired action in the SMS, like confirming appointments or clicking a link for more information.
- Consider Timing: Send messages during appropriate hours to avoid inconveniencing patients. Respect time zones and local regulations.
- Audit and Monitoring: Regularly audit SMS communications and monitor engagement metrics to assess the effectiveness of campaigns.
1 https://smallbiztrends.com/2019/05/sms-appointment-reminders.html
2 https://patientengagementhit.com/news/how-text-messaging-meets-expectations-of-healthcare-consumers
3 https://nrchealth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/2019-Healthcare-Consumer-Trends-Report.pdf