The preparation process for oral surgery can be a nerve-wracking experience for dental patients. So how can you help? We did some digging and found that high levels of communication from providers lead to more successful treatment outcomes.
In this blog, we explore the different ways in which the right patient communication software can improve your overall OMS practice management. In fact, personalized communication software allows OMS practices to facilitate a high level of connection, improving the patient experience.
The OMS Specialty: Patient Readiness
At Intiveo, we understand that Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery is a specialty known for its complex procedures. These procedures have intricate instructions, and patients need pre- and post-operative guidance tailored just for them. Often, patients are sent home with documents containing instructions for their upcoming appointment. Sadly, these documents are easily misplaced and lead to patients feeling unprepared for their procedure.
Patient readiness for surgery is crucial to their safety and satisfaction, which is why investing in a patient communication software can greatly benefit your practice! Of course, we know that shopping around for the perfect software can be tedious, which is why we’re here for you!
We recommend searching for software with customizable communication features based on OMS-specific procedures. This tool automates the process of sending out pre- and post-operative instructions which would not only help patients to feel better prepared for their appointments; but would also free up tons of work time for your staff!
The Patient Experience: Social Reviews
Is your practice having trouble collecting testimonials and reviews? Don’t worry, OMS practices that focus on communication and patient experience can easily turn happy patients into advocates for their practice! Patient feedback is actually one of the best ways for practices to gain insight, encourage staff effort, and acknowledge results. Altoona Center for Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery utilized Intiveo OMS’ Reputation Management tool and saw a 95% increase in patient reviews.
According to the 2022 Local Consumer Review Survey, more consumers are using social reviews to evaluate local businesses than ever before. An important question to ask is: Why should reviews matter for specialty dental practices that operate on a “by-referral only” basis? Well, positive feedback from patients is proof of high-quality dental care and creates a trustworthy reputation that will encourage patient referrals from general practices.
Increasing Patient Confirmations & Reducing Unsuccessful Appointments
Effective communication starts when practices communicate with patients using their preferred method. Have you ever needed to confirm your appointment details with your dental provider, but got placed on a long hold? Yup, we’ve all been there. Let’s face it, nobody wants to wait on hold for their questions or concerns to be answered. Additionally, texts have an open rate of 98%, followed by emails at 20%. But whether your patients prefer to receive their confirmations via text, e-mail, or by phone, personalizing your practices’ communication methods is the key to successful appointments.
Letting the facts speak for themselves, Altoona Center for Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery saw a 75% increase in patient confirmations after contacting patients using their preferred methods. As a result of allowing patients to message the clinic ahead of time, staff were able to reschedule and fill open spots- seeing a 90% decrease in cancellations.
Patient Communication Software is not a “One-Size Fits All”
We understand that OMS Practice Management can be tricky to navigate. On top of general practice management tasks, this particular specialty requires in-depth care, knowledge, and treatment for their patients. Understanding the patient’s complete treatment plan, and knowing when to deliver the right messages is a powerful tool in both staff and patient engagement.
The right patient communication software for your OMS practice should be able to:
- Streamline OMS-specific workflows
- Customize messaging based on procedure type (specific pre- and post-operative instructions)
- Easily send out personalized appointment reminders
- Invite patients to complete wellness forms, consent forms, and satisfaction surveys
Dr. Priveer Sharma of Sharma Oral Surgery understands the importance of software built specifically for specialty practices. Dr. Sharma noted that he “really appreciated Intiveo’s willingness to customize the software to what our practice needed, instead of pushing us to use a standard model”.
Previously, Dr. Sharma struggled to find a patient communication software that could handle all of their intricate procedure-based communication needs. With the help of Intiveo OMS, staff at Sharma Oral Surgery found that they were able to further improve patient experience with the Customized Messaging feature and the ability to streamline and automate their recall process.
Happy Staff Leads to Better Practice Management Outcomes
Specialty practice staff will typically deal with extremely busy workdays. As you may know, this is due to OMS being a niche practice that addresses a high level of patient dental care. Patient communication software can aid in streamlining workflow and automating most processes, allowing staff to focus on completing their other tasks with ease. More importantly, relieving employees of stressful duties has been known to increase happiness and job satisfaction.
Studies show that happy employees out-perform their less-happy colleagues. A patient experience officer once said that “Happy staff doesn’t necessarily make happy patients. But unhappy staff will never make a good patient experience. So I think if you’re just going to work on patient experience, you are going to make your job twice as hard. I think you’ll get there, but it’s going to be harder. If you can get the staff engaged and come in with you then you’re halfway there.”
As we’ve noted, entering a surgery setting can be an anxiety-ridden task for some patients. Something as simple as a smile from the front desk staff can generate trust and encourage a feeling of reassurance in the patients!
Let’s Wrap it Up!
Change is hard, and learning how to navigate a new software can be even harder. However, leveraging the right patient communication software for your practice can reduce staff error and ultimately result in more positive patient outcomes.
Let’s pivot towards personalized communication, increasing patient confirmations and form completions, elevating social reviews, and reducing the time that staff spends on manual phone calls and voicemails. At Intiveo, we want to help your dental practice set a new standard of care by placing value on the two things that matter most: OMS practice management and patient experience!
Curious to see how Intiveo OMS can improve your practice management? Book a meeting with us today!
