A growing number of medical practitioners have acknowledged the utility and value of virtual visits and patient texting in improving appointments. Per NCHS Data Brief No. 493, from 2019 to 2021, the use of telemedicine rose from 15.4% to 86.5%. Text messaging has been used for at least 25 years in the health industry with immense success.
In addition, patients have warmed up to virtual communication with their providers. Per the National Electronic Health Records Survey in 2024, 65.5% of patients were satisfied with telemedicine for their primary care visits. As for text messages, a 2021 study found that 98.2% of patients who received text updates liked the messages, and 95.5% of them said that it made them feel more connected to their care team.
Considering the data, it’s critical to explore digital tools that could improve patient experience and enhance efficiency for your medical practice. That’s what we’ll help with in this article. We’ll share the main digital patient appointment challenges, the benefits of virtual visits and patient texting, and more.
Top Common Patient Appointment Challenges
Patient scheduling is a monumental issue for medical practices everywhere. And it’s because of the inherent challenges plaguing the process. Here are the main pain points that practices like yours face:
Overbooking and Long Wait Times
Whenever a provider books more appointments than they can handle, that’s overbooking. This often occurs when the expected appointment durations are off or because practice management wants to maximize revenue.
This isn’t good for the patients, who don’t appreciate long wait times and will seek out better service elsewhere. And losing patients can very quickly eat into a practice’s financial bottom line.
Plus, an office with too many patients to treat is hard on staff, who may quickly become overworked.
Patient No-Shows
No-shows happen all the time and bring negative consequences to medical practices. Last-minute appointment cancellations result in HR and space utilization waste.
Moreover, when people don’t make it to their scheduled appointments, the delay in treatment could result in adverse health outcomes for the patients.
Lack of Real-Time Communication and Reminders
In the absence of real-time two-way communication, medical staff and patients often struggle to confirm appointments, reschedule on time, or obtain clarity on appointment details. These problems lead to:
- Confusion for patients and staff.
- Time wasted playing phone tag.
- Patient frustration and eroded trust.
Overview of Virtual Visits & Secure Patient Texting
With the pain points covered, it’s time to look a little deeper at the solution. For those who aren’t aware, virtual visits are appointments conducted remotely. They come in several different variations:
- Virtual primary care. These are virtual doctor visits where the patient meets regularly with their primary care provider (PCP) using a smart device with audio and video capabilities.
- Virtual quick care. These visits allow people to see a provider for minor health issues or injuries. They’re also held on smart devices.
- E-visits through direct messages. Sometimes, the best way to address a non-urgent medical concern remotely is to exchange messages directly. A patient can share their issue in a message to a provider in seconds. Typically, the provider will get back to the patient within a few days.
- Patient texting is self-explanatory. It’s when you text patients directly about medical concerns. For healthcare communication, patient texting should be conducted through a secure, HIPAA-compliant platform like Quincy digital patient engagement platform, tailored to the unique needs of healthcare organizations.
6 Key Benefits of Virtual Visits & Patient Texting and How They Improve Appointments
When you opt for virtual visits and patient texting, you are opening your practice up to some benefits, and they include:
- Faster access to care for patients: Instead of waiting for months to see a doctor, patients can be seen virtually or send a message via Quincy for quicker, more convenient service.
- Streamlined pre- and post-visit communication: By communicating with patients through virtual visits and HIPAA-compliant texting (for forms, appointment reminders, test result notifications, etc.), patients feel supported and informed with minimal effort on the practice’s part.
- Better appointment adherence: Sending quick automated reminders and appointment confirmations reduces the chances of missed appointments. With your office running more smoothly, your clinicians and staff will be better equipped to take the time to care for patients.
- Reduced administrative burden. Using secure text messaging for healthcare means you can reduce time spent playing phone tag and reallocate that time toward providing direct patient care.
- Higher patient satisfaction. Remote visits and text messaging are fantastic for virtual patient engagement. They reduce the need for surprise phone calls and snail mail, and they allow patients to reach out on their terms (even outside of working hours). All this significantly boosts patient satisfaction.
- Extended care for the underserved. Some patients have ailments that make travelling to a physical clinic problematic. Having the choice to see a doctor without leaving home means that patients who may otherwise have gone without care can receive it.
The Impact of Digital Appointment Strategies
What happens when you add digital appointment solutions to your overall practice strategy? The impact of that decision will be felt throughout your organization:
Due to these benefits, your practice will be able to serve more patients without adding overhead costs, clean up problematic appointment workflows, and ultimately make your patients happier.
How to Choose the Right Partner
When comparing virtual visit and text messaging solutions in healthcare, you may find many alternatives. To find suitable options, consider the following features:
For patient secure texting:
- HIPAA-compliant design (primarily)
- EMR integration in one click
- Personalization capabilities (display, notifications, alerts)
- HIPAA-Compliant Vendor Selection Guide
For virtual visits:
- HIPAA-secure design
- Strong back-end security for users
- E-signature functionality
- Secure file sharing
- Easy agent-to-agent transfers
- Conversational assistant for patient visit prep
QliqSOFT solutions checks all these boxes and is a fantastic choice for practice managers and owners who want secure patient texting and robust virtual visit capabilities.
Overcoming Barriers to Appointment Success
Even when you’re using capable, tailored technological solutions for appointment management, there are specific barriers to address to ensure success. Some patients can be leery about sharing their personal information digitally, and others may shy away from modern technology altogether. What’s more is that your staff may initially feel overwhelmed when you incorporate the solution into your practice’s workflows. Here’s how to overcome these barriers:
- Choose a solution that’s very user-friendly for both patients and staff to ease onboarding.
- Design simple training sessions and onboarding guides for your staff.
- Have technical support at the ready for user issues.
- Offer patients clear instructions and quick-start tips before their first virtual visit or secure text exchange.
- Collect feedback from staff and patients to find areas of friction early and facilitate improvements.
Conclusion
Virtual visits and patient texting can give your practice exactly what it needs to simplify communication and improve access to care while overhauling appointment management. After adding an AI-enabled communications solution like QliqSOFT to their toolset, practices can put the strategies in this article into action and reap all the benefits. We hope you found the information you were looking for, and we wish you the best as you strive to deliver top-notch patient care.
