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Hospital paging is still prevalent in the healthcare industry today. According to a 2017 study in the Journal of Hospital Medicine, nearly 80% of hospitals still use pagers. The pager was a fantastic invention of the mid 1900’s and was a great solution for communication in healthcare. But let’s face it, technology, healthcare, and communication standards have drastically changed since the invention of the pager in 1949. The time has come for the healthcare industry to set aside the pager and turn to a new and improved communication solution: HIPAA compliant text messaging.
What is wrong with hospital paging?
Hospital paging has served as the communication standard in healthcare for decades. Unfortunately, it has long since been questioned as the optimal method of care coordination. Contrary to popular belief, hospital paging systems are a thing of the past and should not be used anymore for several reasons.
First, they are unnecessarily expensive. A recent study found that on average, large healthcare organizations (defined as having 100 beds or more) spend $179,000 per year for pager systems and approximately $8.40 per device every month.
In that same study, researchers found “perceived reliability” to be the single most popular reason for continuing to use pagers. Instead of integrating a new solution, hospitals continue to use pagers because that is how they learned healthcare communication.
Another problem with pagers is their inefficient use of time. The use of pagers is time-consuming and often results in phone tag, which can cost lives in the health sector. CNN Money conducted a study that found medical professionals wasted an average of 46 minutes each day playing phone tag. Imagine the unnecessary lives and expenses lost due to inefficient communication.
Additionally, the lack of message accountability is extremely prevalent in healthcare organizations. With the minimal record-keeping methods of pager systems, providers are less likely to be held responsible for communication errors.
By now you are probably thinking, there must be a better alternative to hospital pagers, and you are right! HIPAA compliant secure messaging is a cheaper, more efficient communication solution for healthcare organizations.
What is HIPAA compliant text messaging?
HIPAA compliant text messaging is the future of communication in healthcare. Through a software that specializes in secure communication for healthcare, patients and providers can connect via text message. Protected health information is transmitted securely with industry-grade encryption techniques so nobody has to worry about data breaches or loss of health data.
Although there are many reasons to integrating a secure messaging system into your practice, we have condensed them down into five essential benefits:
- Improved Response Time
- Enhanced Security
- Better Bottom Line
- Efficient Workflow
- Ease of Use
HIPAA compliant messaging solutions allow hospitals to save tens (if not hundreds) of thousands of dollars each year by drastically improving communication both inside and outside of the practice. Even more importantly, the enhanced standard of communication will save countless lives.
How can OhMD benefit my practice?
All healthcare professionals have access to a cell phone or computer. Rather than spending tens of thousands of dollars each year on a hospital paging system, why not utilize the phones and computers already owned by providers?
This is what OhMD does. We offer a HIPAA compliant text messaging solution for both care coordination and patient communication. Speak directly to patients and colleagues from your computer or smart phone without worrying about compliance issues and expensive fines. Through our two-way messaging, live website chat, file delivery system, or broadcast and reminder system, patient-provider relationships will be elevated to a new level. Provide better health outcomes for your patients while saving your practice tens of thousands of dollars each year with OhMD.
Schedule a demo today to learn more about how OhMD can become your secure communication solution!
