five things you need to know about mobile messaging

Are you using email and phone to keep in touch with current customers or users? What do your open rates look like? Mobile messaging is a dominant force in 2017 communications trends and is projected to take off through 2020. Capitalizing on this, I've spent the past four years growing healthcare messaging platform, working to solve the inefficient communication problem within the healthcare industry.

To make the most of mobile, we first took an operational look at the inner workings of the healthcare industry. Our team found that through tweaking communications systems with the integration of a cloud-based messaging platform, doctors could manage their practices better and people were happier (even healthier). And to continue building in this space, our team is constantly researching the latest trends in the future of messaging. We know how powerful messaging technology is, and continues to be, in industries that are just beginning to harness the power of consumer technology.

From our own experience, here’s what you need to know about mobile messaging:

People Read Your Messages
A recent study found that the open rate of mobile messages is 98%, versus 22% for email. In general, people have multiple email addresses, spam filters, and firewalls that you have to cut through to get your messaging heard. While email apps exist on mobile devices, the app is not used as frequently nor is as intuitive as a mobile messaging app. On the other hand, 90% of people read a mobile message within the first three minutes.


Mobile messaging apps have an average rate of over 60% within the first year of usage, according to Statista. Retention rates are especially important when it comes to keeping existing customers engaged. As consumer preferences shift towards mobile messaging, business should move toward the front that has maximum viability and impact.

I also think the UX of messaging applications will be important moving forward. Industries looking to provide a solution will have to balance novelty with familiarity. Because arguably, retention rates stem from the ease of use for the individual.

Source

study shows patients like remote monitoring via mobile app for follow-up care

Dive Brief:

Access to a mobile app that allowed ambulatory breast reconstruction patients to submit photos and report information to physicians resulted in fewer post-surgery follow-up appointments, according to a study published by JAMA Surgery.

Out of 65 women treated between February 1, 2015, and August 31, 2015, 32 women with access to the app attended a mean of 0.66 in-person visits while 33 women without the app attended a mean of 1.64 in-person visits.

There were no significant differences in telephone calls with physicians, satisfaction scores or complications between the two groups, although women with access to the app sent more emails to their physicians and reported higher convenience scores.
Dive Insight:

One obstacle that has hindered adoption of technology in healthcare has been doubt over its ability to replace in-person care. However, results such as these are slowly helping to break down barriers holding technology back, especially as patients increasingly indicate their preference for more consumer-friendly services.

Out of 32 women in the study who had access to the app, 30 (97%) agreed or strongly agreed that their follow-up care was convenient. Meanwhile, only 16 of 33 (48%) women without access to the app agreed or strongly agreed that their follow-up care was convenient. This response lends credence to surveys that suggest patients would appreciate digital tools that allow communication with their physicians.

For instance, 62% of those surveyed for a report published June 2016 by Salesforce said they would consider virtual appointments with physicians. Another 61% who had been hospitalized or knew someone who had been hospitalized reported that post-discharge communication with physicians could be improved.

Some healthcare providers have begun to experiment with new care delivery systems that rely heavily on technology. For instance, One Medical, which operates a network of retail clinics, allows patients email and video chat with physicians, send photographs, refill prescriptions and schedule appointments via a website and mobile app. These tools are not only convenient for patients, they also streamline administrative tasks for One Medical physicians and employees.

While the potential for technology to transform healthcare is there, the transformation has not occurred as quickly as some might have hoped. Former CMS Acting Administrator Andy Slavitt, in a recent Q&A with HIStalk, expressed frustration with health IT vendors for engaging in self-congratulatory behavior even though their products arguably make physicians jobs more difficult. A study published September 2016 by Annals of Internal Medicine found physicians spend about half of their workdays on EHR and administrative tasks.

Despite frustration with the slow pace of progress that technology is making in healthcare, the potential is still there. “I don’t think anybody should lose promise in the power of what technology can do,” Slavitt said.

Source

tactile marketing: the new killer app in healthcare?

In the digital-centric 21st century world that we now live, communication seems to have distanced itself from actual “talk” and ventured into non-vocal forms such as emails, texts and digital messaging.

That’s why when you walk into most doctors’ offices today; you’re inundated with point-of-care companies getting their message out through digital video displays in the waiting room, iPads in exam rooms, and interactive wallboards throughout the facility.

However, the doctor’s office is one of the last places where two-way voice communication and educational tools are actually welcomed by both parties, as there’s a trust and personal connection between doctors and patients that warrant this “old school” kind of thinking. That can be quite impactful for RX and OTC point-of-care marketing.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation recently conducted a survey that found when physicians share information with their patients it opens a dialogue between doctor and patient, which builds trust and leads to more motivated and adherent patients. Additionally, it enables patients to feel empowered and be more willing to discuss topics that may be difficult for them.

This open dialogue between doctor and patient creates an ideal opportunity for a company to get important information about its products out to the general public in a way that has been proven to be more effective than digital means. By empowering doctors to talk one-on-one with a patient about relevant RX and OTC products, treatments and services, you’re ensuring that the information is delivered, rather than hoping they will engage with messages on phones or tablets or notice in office digital signage.

Plus, unlike seeing something on a screen or sign, if a patient wants to know more or has immediate questions, all they need to do is ask, rather than having to navigate whatever website, contact or digital channel is listed by other platforms.

Today more than ever, physicians and their staff are playing a critical role in the education of the patient, and that includes introducing them to some of the latest treatments, technologies and products that make their own health journey a more informed and comfortable one.

For example, at Brandperx, we offer a patient activation bag program, which is hung in the exam room and sets in motion a conversation between a healthcare provider and his or her patient. The bag includes a starter kit from the brand consisting of information, a coupon and often a sample, making it very easy for a doctor to locate and share these resources directly with their patients and have an open talk about what’s inside.

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5 trends that show patient engagement pattern with mobile healthcare

1) Globally 44 per cent of mobile users have seen a medical professional using a mobile device during treatment or diagnosis. (MEF mHealth and Wearables Report 2015)

2) South Africans are keenest on health and fitness apps (22% vs the global average of 15%), while mobile users in Nigeria are the most likely to use medical apps (usage has more than doubled in a year from 7-17%). (MEF mHealth and Wearables Report 2015)

3) 80 per cent of global smartphone users in survey indicated interest in using their smartphones to interact with health care providers.( FICO)

4) Over half of tablet users over the age of 55 use tablets for health purposes. (Manhattan Research)

5) 63 per cent of Americans with gastrointestinal problems use nutritional tracking mobile apps (Makovsky Health)

6) Among obese or overweight consumers, 61 per cent would make use of a mobile app to communicate with a doctor (Makovsky Health)

7) In Qatar and Saudi Arabia more than half of consumers have seen mHealth in action by medical professionals and in the UAE it’s almost two-thirds. (MEF mHealth and Wearables Report 2015)

how healthcare organizations can benefit by using messaging for cancelled appointments

How Healthcare organizations can save money and time by using messaging for cancelled appointments

A recent report states that 8% of patients miss appointments with their doctors and hospitals . And for hospitals loses and delay in managing effective handling of missed patient appointments means impacting their productivity as “ reallocating and rescheduling “ appointments across medical staff and doctors involves considerable time waste . For doctors and medical staff who runs a strict schedule each delay involves changes in their workflow. How can hospitals ensure that “ this time is actually allocated for more urgent and important tasks.

One of the ways Hospitals can automate this is by mobile messaging According to Quarterly Hospital Activity Data 2015, between 2014-15 around 9%, or 5.6 million, NHS outpatient appointments were missed in England, although the rate at some hospitals and for some clinics is much higher.

Of late mobile messaging including text messages and emails have been increasingly being used by Healthcare Organizations and hospitals to remind patients of their appointments by sending out Application to Personal ( A2P messages and also soliciting P2A ( person to application messaging ) in case patients wants to cancel their hospital appointment. A new research trial run by a team from Imperial College London, the Department of Health (DH) and the Behavioural Insights Team in collaboration with Barts NHS Trust and text message provider, iPlato.show that mobile messages and the wording of SMS reminders significantly affects the extent to which patients miss, attend or cancel outpatient appointments Given the scale of SMS usage, this is a significant opportunity for service improvement.

A recent data shows that 52% of smartphone users gather health-related information on their phones. That includes information about a specific medical problem or procedure, or diet, nutrition, and fitness-related information.

top 15 interesting healthcare messaging statistics

Here are some interesting data on healthcare stats   ( source :) The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT found that about

• 41% of hospitals were able to send and receive secure messages in 2013. 
• CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics found that about 40.4% of physicians said they have used secure messaging and about 8.4% said they had the necessary technology but had not used it. 
• An internal survey in 2013 found that new members of Kaiser Permanente Northern California reported higher satisfaction rates and were more likely to re-enroll if they used secure messaging. 
•  The survey also linked secure messaging use with better quality care and improved logistics.
Here are a few statistics about the information sources that physicians seek when using mobile devices according to a Wolters Kluwer Health infographic: 
•  72% of physicians access drug information from smartphones. 
• 63% of physicians access medical research from tablets. 44% of physicians communicate with nurses and other staff from smartphones.

Growing number of mobile health apps and app downloads (Source) :

• To date, 61% of people have downloaded an mHealth app.

For example, Philadelphia-based Hahnemann Hospital conducted a pilot study that introduced a mobile app that supported email and text messaging to over 350 congestive heart failure patients. During this study, patients received email and text message reminders to get them to schedule follow-up appointments after being discharged from the hospital.

As a result, the hospital was able to reduce its 30-day readmissions by 10% that was a 40% improvement over their baseline.

• Readmissions also decreased to 16% for patients who received messages, and the readmissions rate for those who confirmed an appointment was 8.8%, compared to 15.4% for those who didn’t confirm. 
• At the end of the 10-month pilot, it was clearly demonstrated that not only could mobile apps help patients to keep their appointments to get the proper follow-up care; it could contribute to reduced hospital costs.

• Of the 100,000 mobile health apps in app stores around the world, 85% of apps are for wellness while the remaining 15% are for medical. Most apps are free to use or free to get started, but there’s also a large portion of apps that are paid. 
• Of the mHealth apps available in major app stores, 42% of them adhere to a paid business model.

In 2014 alone, Research2Guidance reported that there were over four million free downloads of mHealth apps every day. That number is expected to keep growing.

By 2017, it’s predicted that 50% of smartphone users will have downloaded mobile health apps.