They're big words for very meaningful “conversations” between doctors and their patients. Interactive notifications are not spoken words, as in a conversation, but they are important two-way avenues of communication between patients who may need reminders about medication, appointments and schedule changes from their doctors in a quick, easy way. And if patients actually do need to speak to their doctors, they can do that, too.

Interactive notifications can tell patients about office hours and locations, as well as lab results, provide medical alerts and prescriptions, and remind them about doctors' appointments, prescription refills, and annual check-ups. Interactive notifications can be sent over the phone or by email.

They can also save lives by alerting healthcare professionals when a patient hasn't called or shown up for an appointment.

But probably the biggest benefit of these kinds of notifications is their value to business.

Businesses are starting to realize just how much they can save, and increase productivity at the same time, by using these kinds of notifications. No longer do physicians' offices need to hire personnel who spend time and money calling patients to remind them of appointments or to schedule new ones, freeing them to focus on other tasks. And patients like being contacted this way.

Businesses experience great benefits from these kinds of systems. Putting in place an integrated notifications system can increase productivity and improve efficiency while allowing healthcare professionals to communicate with patients or partners at any point in caring for them.

And as for customer satisfaction? Hospitals within six different health care systems saw their patient satisfaction scores soar following the implementation of interactive monitors that allow patients to communicate with staff and get access to information about their condition, according to this post on ihealthbeat.com.

The interactive monitors allowed patients to find out information about major, and minor, details relating to their care, including getting access to post-discharge instructions, asking clinicians about their care, inquiring about food menus, reading about their medical conditions, and request help with minor tasks, according to the story.

Different kinds of notifications can also be triggered through email whenever there is important news about a certain subject, according to the FDA. These include consumer health information, diseases and conditions, medical devices, food and nutrition, and recalls and safety alerts.

If you’d like to find out more about using Interactive Notifications to improve patient care and business operations check out Using Interactive Notifications to Improve Patient Care and Business Operations in the Healthcare Industry.

Deborah DiSesa Hirsch is an award-winning health and technology writer who has worked for newspapers, magazines and IBM (News - Alert) in her 20-year career. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.