Patient communication in a digital space can be challenging. Especially when the care involves multiple providers and PHI. Far too often we see gaps in communication lead to gaps in care. Now more than ever, communication plays an important role in patients receiving clinically appropriate care when they need it most.

By using digital tools for patient communication, your patients get care faster, patients play an active role in their care.
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Here are a few ways to provide stellar communication by using a few tools in Mahmee.

Ok, this is an obvious one. But it is also the most powerful. Patients like messages because it gives them a direct line of communication straight to you. We've found that patients are more likely to reach out with issues or questions about their care when they have a direct connection to their provider. Patients don't need to wait until business hours to try and reach you. Instead, they reach out when it's best for them; even at 3am. Learn how to send messages HERE.

Tip: Manage how you receive message notifications.

Mahmee Network providers like using the message feature because they keep all messages in one HIPAA secure location, connected to the patient's medical record. When messaging is housed in one centralized location, providers can save time and communication is streamlined. This allows providers to devote that extra time to patients, focusing on proactive messaging, instead of reactive messaging.

Tip: Did you know that you can send messages to providers in your Mahmee Network?

New and existing patients can proactively request an appointment with your organization if you have a Premium membership. Appointment requests land in your Mahmee messages inbox along with the patient's reason for the appointment. Since requests are in your messages, you can reply directly to the request and start a conversation and/or schedule an appointment.

Calling each patient to confirm their appointment takes a considerable amount of time. You're left with leaving voicemails and sometimes playing phone tag.

Appointment reminder notifications can be customized and automated in Mahmee. Whether you are doing an in-person appointment or a telehealth appointment, patients receive reminders prior to the appointment. This reduces no shows' and reschedules.

Tip: Select 'reminder preferences' when scheduling an appointment. This gives you the flexibility to set reminder notifications based on the patient's needs. For example, some patients may need more frequent reminders than others.

Visit summaries may not seem like an obvious communication tool, but it is a vital necessity in empowering patients.

Visit summaries open communication and transparency between patient and provider, patient and support persons, and between multiple providers caring for a patient. Patients receive a visit summary after each appointment. Ideally, the patient should be present and included when writing an after visit summary. A patient's participation in the visit summary will:

There is a ton of flexibility in how you choose to use Interactions. Perhaps you spoke to another member of the patient's care team regarding patient care. Perhaps you spoke to the patient over the phone. Think of Interactions as any type of 'note' your organization needs. Perhaps it is used to document care. Perhaps it is used to write a reminder for the rest of your team members. In Mahmee, that can be done in Interactions.

Customize the visibility of Interactions to allow Interactions to be seen by the care team, patient, or only your organization.

Example 1: A doula has a 10- minute phone conversations with a client regarding changes to the birth plan. The doula recaps the phone conversation in Interactions so the back-up doula is aware of what was discussed and important updates to the client's preferences.

Example 2: Care coordinators at a home visiting service have tried multiple times to contact a family to schedule a visit. The family has been unresponsive to voicemails. The care coordinator writes an Interaction note (visible only to the other care coordinators) stating the days and times of attempted contact.

Interactions is a tool that can be used broadly over many different organization types. Some organizations use Interactions to;

Ideally, a variety of communication methods should be used to accommodate the patient's preferences and unique needs. Providing consistent communication breaks siloed systems that further fragment maternal and infant health care and empowers patients to play active roles in their care.

Mahmee has a variety of communication features and tools so organizations can create better workflows. Organizations may choose to utilize one or two features, while other organizations need all of the features. Flexibility allows you to pick and choose the right option for you.