Are you setting your OMS patients up for success? Promoting patient compliance can be very challenging for OMS practices. After all, many procedures involve complex pre- and post-appointment instructions, requiring patients to complete a lot of steps at home.
In this blog, we will review 6 tips for promoting patient compliance both before and after the procedure. Let’s dive in!
Patient Compliance for Pre-Procedure Care
As any team at any OMS practice knows, non-compliance with pre-operative instructions can result in canceled appointments, ongoing discomfort for your patients, and lost revenue for your practice. It also makes for frustration for patients and staff alike.
With a bit of extra preparation, you can improve your pre-op communication, and make instructions easier for your patients to follow. They all stem from engaging your patients successfully, with the right messaging cadence.
#1: Follow-Up That Fits Your Patients
If your clinic’s procedures require multiple pre-op actions (or even just one), you’re more likely to see compliance if you provide reminders in more than one way.
An email upon appointment confirmation is a good way to provide the details that they’ll need for a successful visit, and a phone call the week of the procedure is a great way to remind the patient that they have steps to take before coming in.
That said, it’s important to communicate with your patients in the way that is most meaningful to them. If possible, engage with your patients via the medium they prefer, be that text, email, or phone. If procedure instructions are provided to them via text or email, they will be all that more likely to follow them because they will be readily accessible on their phone or computer.
#2: Schedule Time for a Text
If your staff is able, a text message from a real person reminding the patient of their upcoming procedure and outlining any pre-op steps they need to take is a direct way to make sure they have all of the information they need. It takes an extra step, but can pay off immensely if it avoids a cancellation due to non-compliance.
This can be a huge undertaking for staff, if they choose to do it manually. However, with patient engagement software, a lot of this process can be both automated and customized. This supports your patients in coming prepared. At the same time, it gets time back for your staff, improving their efficiency.
#3: Make Directions to Your Practice Clear
Put your directions in writing, so there’s no confusion about what they need to keep in mind before coming in. This is another way in which automated communication can come in handy. Any emails or text messages can include a link to Google Maps, as well as any instructions for parking upon arrival. This is also a key place to include any accessibility information for patients with mobility aids.
Do you have patients with a different language preference? Make sure you can provide your directions in their language of choice, so they can feel confident in their understanding before coming in for their visit.
Post Op
Hopefully, your post-procedure protocol includes measures for patient follow-up. If not, now is the time to add it! Set your patients up for success with patient compliance. By adding a communication plan to your process, you can mitigate potential post-procedure issues and make patients more likely to share their concerns and questions.
Here are a few tips to keep in mind when planning patient communication for your OMS procedures, to help increase compliance and improve outcomes.
#4: Follow-Up After the Procedure
Post procedure, it’s a good idea for a representative from your office to take the time for a personal courtesy check-in either via phone call or text message.
This will give the patient a chance to bring up any lingering questions and raise any concerns, before they become troublesome.
This small act will make your patient feel well taken care of, and more likely to reach back out to you if there are any post procedure complications.
#5: Provide a Contact
To make it easy for patients to get in touch for help if there is a post-procedure complication or question, provide them with the most direct line of contact to a member of your team.
This is critical not only to your patient’s trust in your practice, but also for their health. If pressing post-procedure issues arise, then your team will be able to respond quickly, before it becomes a major medical issue.
While most patients will likely not need to call in, having the resource provides peace of mind, and gives your team the chance to mitigate any unexpected.
#6: Lead with an Easy Checklist
Is there anything important that the patient should be on the lookout for after their procedure? Make sure they know what should trigger follow-up with your office.
A quick & clear checklist of possible complications and their suggested response actions will make them more comfortable, better equipped to recognize problems, and give them the contact they need if it’s necessary to get in touch with your office. Providing this to them in hard-copy is a great start, as well as making sure they have access to it in a text message or email.
Ensuring Patient Compliance for OMS Practices
In sum, patient compliance is a core competency for successful OMS practice. Setting up a routine of proactive follow-up, mindful appointments, and clear patient directions ensures that all of your OMS patients have the best outcome. Utilizing these 6 tips will support you in getting more patients to comply with their treatment plans. Start putting these strategies into practice today to improve patient compliance as well as setting your OMS patients up for success!
As the number one choice in patient engagement software for OMS practices in Canada and the United States, the team at Intiveo have conversations every day with practices like yours about what matters most for patient compliance. Curious to learn more about how Intiveo can elevate your practice? Book a meeting today!
