Save money and achieve more patients

Photo: Visual Stories Micheile

To have an expanding healthcare system, you need more patients. However, at the same time, saving money is also crucial. In the world of healthcare, new and quite innovative means of technology are being implemented to make communication with patients faster and easier. Faster communication means more patients. Here, we are going to take a look at all of the different, new ways you can save money and achieve more patients. So, without further ado, let's take a look.

Ways of being cost-effective - Why call centers are not the right solution

To establish communication with patients, you need to invest. Various tools, agents, different rooms, front office desks, computers, and other devices all take away from the budget. So far, one of the most basic ways of establishing communication with patients has been call centers. However, in recent years, call centers have become rather obsolete due to the number of different problems they bring.

To begin with, call centers require you to enlist staff that is reliable and can answer all of the patients' questions. Obviously, this is not always possible nor is it always the case. Many health clinics use call centers that are operated by agents who are not experienced and not ready to communicate with patients. This brings patient satisfaction down and decreases the number of patients. What patients hate the most about call centers are not only ill-trained agents but also long waiting times, being switched from one agent to another, and not getting the needed information. Furthermore, the one reason call centers are also not a good option for health clinics is the cost. As mentioned above, call centers are hard to maintain and require a big investment that constantly needs to be maintained and improved.

New means of establishing and maintaining communication with patients

If call centers and front office desks are not the most cost-effective solution in maintaining communication with patients, what other ways can you do it? Well, as we have mentioned at the very beginning of this article, the constant development of technology around us has enabled healthcare systems around the world to use new and innovative solutions for establishing and maintaining communication with patients. Digitalization is fairly quickly making its way into the world of healthcare. New digital tools and services powered by AI can make a big difference in the way patients communicate with their healthcare service providers. These new digital tools and services are not only cost-effective but also allow for more patients.

Digital tools and services that are powered by conversational AI, and that focus 100% on healthcare interactions and communication with patients, can easily enhance patients' healthcare journey, make the healthcare services more accessible, as well as make relevant and important information easier to come by. For example, proactive services that allow confirmation of appointments will not only reduce waiting times but also prompt rescheduling options and remind patients of their appointments. This kind of digital service helps patients manage and remember appointments and/or shifts. With such digital services, patients can access important information 24/7 and do not need to rely on call centers. They can access all of the important information from the comfort of their own homes.

The use of AI in conversation with patients

Digital services powered by the natural language processing engine or NLP, can help patients schedule appointments, get valuable info about your services as well as actively communicate with the AI. While communication with the AI is not really new, conversational AI that uses NLP engines is and is a big game-changer. A regular chatbot just like a call center simply cannot answer all of the patients' questions and is limited as to what kind of operation it can perform. AI built to focus on human interactions in healthcare systems, on the other hand, can help patients get the right services and accurate information. In addition to this, AI, as mentioned above, can function 24/7 which is a great advantage over call centers. Furthermore, when it comes to cost-effectiveness, there is no need to have multiple rooms, front desk offices, agents, and so on.

Once set up, conversational AI can communicate with multiple patients. The important thing to note about conversation AI using a natural language processing engine is the fact that it can perform a completely natural conversation with patients. The conversations will feel natural and normal, and the AI can use slang, answer different questions and give the needed information about the patient's healthcare journey instantly. Perhaps the biggest advantage of conversational AI is its ability to approach each patient differently. This means that, depending on the patient's characteristics, needs, and medical history, AI can communicate in a different manner with each patient.

We can see why this kind of AI is more cost-effective than a regular chatbot and especially call centers. But how exactly does this help a clinic get more patients? Well, for starters patients will gain instant access to communicate with healthcare service providers. They will get the information they need from the comfort of their own homes using digital services and getting messages through different apps and platforms such as E-mail, WhatsApp, SMS, and so on. When it comes to conversations with AI, patients will not feel like they are talking to a regular chatbot. Quite the contrary, conversational AI can build more trust and establish a normal and natural relationship with patients.

Being cost-effective and achieving new patients in healthcare - Possible with new technology

So, in summary, achieving more patients is a key to a successful and well-established healthcare clinic. However, being cost-effective is also crucial. So, how to achieve both? Through the use of new digital services and platforms, powered by innovative AI technology that focuses 100% on healthcare interactions, healthcare clinics around the world can establish a better relationship with their patients and form a clearer channel for communication that is instant, personal, and accurate.