In a recent press release, pMD®, the innovation leader in health care technology, has enhanced patient communication by removing two critical barriers for active participation in their care. Patients can now use pMD® Secure Messaging™ to contact their practice directly, opening a line of communication that has historically been difficult and time consuming for both parties. In addition, multiple providers can now group message with a patient, easily increasing collaboration among care teams and ensuring there are no costly miscommunications.

"Using the pMD app was a real anxiety reducer," says Mary, a patient using pMD. "If you have a question and something's not right, you can get an answer through the pMD app. It's immediate. You feel closer to the doctor and staff. It's more personal. The app was very easy to download and use. I would recommend this to everyone! Doctor's offices could really cut down on the number of phone calls. I would prefer practices that use this type of technology."

“Patients often find themselves in endless phone tag loops just to connect with their doctor,” said Adam Kenney, VP of Software Engineering at pMD. “Our mission is to reduce medical errors, many of which stem from communication issues. That's why we provide free technology to improve patient and doctor communication. Patients and doctors are both happier when communication is seamless.”

Contact Practice

Health care is the last industry in which patients are not treated as consumers with buying power. Nothing is more frustrating for patients than struggling to find time during the day to call their practice, only to wait on hold or leave a message. At the same time, practices spend hours each day tracking down patients to deliver important information. For such essential communications, neither party has the time to spare playing phone tag. For example, opening a line of communication regarding what medications not to take before surgery can help avoid costly reschedules or adverse reactions.

Patients are now empowered to raise their hands and ask for help or clarification at their convenience. Practices have an easy to use tool that allows them to maintain complete control of the conversation. With pMD’s customized chat routers, requests will always reach the appropriate person, whether it be a provider, administrator, scheduler, or biller. Once an episode of care is complete, the conversation can be closed, while still giving patients an avenue to initiate a new conversation with the practice if another issue arises.

Group Message with Patients

Medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the U.S. behind only heart disease and cancer. A subpar exchange of information can lead to tragic consequences, but there is no reason inefficient communication should be a barrier to providing excellent patient care.

Mistakes are much more likely to occur when care teams rely on patients to remember and relay important information back and forth. The new group chat feature provides a platform for multiple members of a patient's care team to communicate with that patient, ensuring everyone is always on the same page. Instead of numerous calls and faxes from provider to provider, the entire care team can interact with the patient via their mobile device in real-time, significantly limiting the back and forth for everyone involved.

In the coming months, pMD will continue to enhance it’s suite of provider to patient communication functionality with additional features such as secure in-app voice calling, voice memos, and automated appointment reminders.

For more than 20 years, pMD has focused on the provider to provider communication to reduce the risk of medical errors. However, empowering patients to be active and engaged participants in their care is just as crucial to producing positive outcomes. pMD now offers a powerful communication suite that meets the needs of both practices and patients in one place, representing a monumental shift in the platform.

About pMD

pMD gives health care professionals powerful, intuitive mobile software that improves patient care. With pMD's mobile communication, data capture, and care navigation platforms, health care teams finally have an elegant and simple technology to maximize efficiency and collaboration, capturing everything right at the point of care. pMD interfaces with all major electronic medical records, hospital systems, and medical billing systems, enabling the efficient sharing of data and cutting down on medical errors. pMD is committed to developing the best solution and providing superior customer service. For more information, contact pMD or visit www.pmd.com.

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