Fewer no-shows, optimal staffing levels and lower costs with the SMS appointment reminder service at GP practices.
A simple, short SMS message to remind patients of their GP appointment prevents appointments from being forgotten and valuable GP time from being wasted. PharmaPartners developed the SMS Appointment Reminder Service to support GP practices in informing their patients. PharmaPartners works together with Spryng for this. The result? Fewer no-shows, lower costs, streamlined work processes and optimal capacity utilisation.
Spryng started fifteen years ago with minimising no-shows in the healthcare sector by using simple SMS reminders. Naomi Vonk, Business Development Manager at Spryng, knows exactly the advantages of the SMS appointment reminder service from PharmaPartners. Naomi: “In healthcare, an SMS reminder can make a big difference. By sending a reminder, healthcare providers save costs and optimise their work processes. Healthcare providers work more efficiently thanks to the SMS Appointment Reminder Service.”
PharmaPartners and Spryng joined forces in 2018 to enable Medicom users to also benefit from SMS reminders from Spryng by developing the SMS Appointment Reminder Service.
Getting started is easy
The SMS Appointment Reminder Service is a module that PharmaPartners developed especially for Medicom users. A link with the GP’s diary and the patients’ 06 numbers ensures that patients are automatically reminded of their appointments. Naomi: “After the installation, the care providers no longer have to worry about it. The GP practice can easily set the desired text and choose the sender, for example the name of the practice.”
The SMS Appointment Reminder Service was developed to support GP practices in patient contact. Naomi: “The reminder offers the patient the chance to change or cancel the appointment. In this way, the GP practice can make targeted adjustments to capacity utilisation and plan accordingly. Because people no longer forget their appointments, they do not need to be scheduled again. This prevents endless waiting lists. All in all, GPs can manage their time better. Of course, you also save a lot of costs this way.”
According to Naomi, the past year has proven that digitisation within healthcare is an increasingly urgent issue. “During the coronapandemic, we had to keep a greater distance and the pressure on healthcare increased significantly. PharmaPartners’ SMS Appointment Reminder Service addresses these issues as well. An SMS to confirm the time of an appointment ensures that patients do not arrive too early or too late. This makes it easier to regulate the pressure in waiting rooms. Such an SMS is sent automatically, so doctor’s assistants do not need to plan time for it. During the pandemic, the product was also used to share extra information about the corona measures with patients and to confirm the vaccination appointment with the GP.”
A valuable communication tool
Although SMS has been around for more than 30 years, Naomi says it is still a very effective medium. “Nowadays, everyone receives a lot of e-mails every day. As a result, a confirmation of an appointment by email quickly disappears into the daily stream, or ends up in spam. A confirmation by phone is too time-consuming for care workers. An SMS stands out in our daily communication flow because we don’t use it so much in our private lives these days. Most people communicate via WhatsApp. The fact that SMS stands out is also reflected in the figures. 98% of appointment reminders sent via SMS are opened, usually within three minutes of receipt.”
PharmaPartners has chosen to work with Spryng because Spryng is the specialist in SMS services within the healthcare sector. Naomi: “Almost all hospitals in the Benelux make use of our services. We are the only SMS provider in Europe to be ISO 27001 and NEN 7510 certified. The security and safety of customer data at Spryng is 100% according to the AVG guidelines. We also have years of experience in this sector. We know that the SMS Appointment Reminder Service makes a big difference within GP care.”
Would you like to know more?
Are you interested in an SMS service for your practice? Or do you already have SMS service but want to get more out of it? Spryng makes an inventory of your situation and wishes. So together we can make a plan for a smooth communication system that will help your practice and your patients! Or try out the SMS service yourself, with a free test account at Spryng. You can do so via this link. Do you prefer an offer without engagement? Request a quote here. Still have questions? Let us know, our team will get into action immediately and examine your specific situation and possibilities. Because our goal is to make care run smoother with SMS services.
