COVID-19 and the Rise of Texting in Healthcare

The creative disruption took place when healthcare providers realized they already had the solution to their COVID-19 communication ills at their disposal—text messaging. For starters, texting offers a range of advantages over phone calls.

By automating scheduling tasks like text appointment reminders and COVID-19 patient education messages, providers are connecting clearly and effectively with patients while simultaneously increasing confirmations and decreasing no-shows. Through the use of group texts, providers can message large numbers of patients with important COVID-19 information, details about vaccinations, and the latest health advisories, all with the click of a button.

Real-time, two-way text messaging adds a whole new dimension to patient engagement. Through two-way texting, providers are able to answer patients’ questions, follow up on no-shows, and conduct a conversation with patients while not overwhelming staff with time-consuming phone calls.