Outbound IVR for Healthcare Providers

As IVR technology continues to advance and spread into new industries, its uses continue to diversify. Even within the healthcare industry, which has used IVR systems for some time, providers are finding new ways to incorporate IVR into their business.

Healthcare providers need to communicate with their patients frequently about services and appointments, and they typically do that through person-to-person phone calls. Rather than dedicating staff resources and money to making those personal calls, IVR systems or hosted IVR solutions handle that responsibility.

For healthcare providers, IVR systems can:

--Welcome new patients and speed in-office administration tasks by gathering information before the patients come for their first visit.

--Notify patients of upcoming vaccinations (such as flu shots) or when it’s time to schedule appointments for preventative healthcare—physicals, prostate exams, mammograms, et cetera—enabling early detection of certain diseases and ensuring better general health.

--Remind patients of upcoming appointments so they avoid showing up late or not showing up at all, both of which cost healthcare providers time and money.

--Deliver special instructions before appointments, surgical procedures or tests.

--Provide follow-up calls after procedures or tests informing patients of results and offering post-procedure instructions, warnings and contact information in case of ill effects.

--Help patients remember to refill their prescriptions, automatically refill prescriptions (sophisticated IVR systems with comprehensive security measures in place for HIPAA purposes), educate patients on how to take their medications and even remind patients to take them.

--Notify patients when bills are due and take payment over the phone (advanced IVR systems with secure bill pay), helping to keep patients on time with payments and helping providers keep their balance sheets current and correct.

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Edited by Juliana Kenny