COVID-19 testing has played a critical role in the pandemic as our first line of defense against the pandemic in the beginning. The monumental demand for rapid testing resulted in a litany of obstacles for providers, pharmacists, and other healthcare workers. The virus we hoped would eventually disappear with the help of vaccines continues to permeate our communities, requiring healthcare professionals to find innovative ways to effectively manage how the results of large-scale testing are communicated back to the patient, their healthcare records, and providers who remain involved in their care.
Unique COVID-19 testing challenges uncovered throughout the pandemic
At the start of the pandemic, many testing facilities relied on manual efforts to communicate test results back to the patient. Speed was of the essence, as a negative test result meant you could get back to work, while a positive result warranted quarantine and safety measures to minimize the spread of the virus. However, relying on phone calls for the delivery of results meant patients waited days to hear whether or not they could resume normal life as determined by their test outcome.
Manual results delivery is unsustainable.
Healthcare professionals and staff who were tasked with delivering test results to the patients quickly became burnout. And the experience wasn’t ideal for patients, either. Long hold times on the phone and phone tag meant that patients didn’t receive their results as quickly as possible–or even at all. Because of the burden of calling hundreds or thousands of patients, some healthcare facilities stopped reporting negative results altogether so they could focus on communicating with those individuals actively infected with the virus.
Traditional means of communication are failing.
Hesitant to implement new technology tools to communicate results, many providers rely on existing platforms, like patient portals. However, delivering results via the patient portal presents its own challenges. Patients still struggle to adopt portals and those that do experience barriers with creating accounts and signing on.
Delivering hard copy results in person isn’t an option, as crowded waiting rooms present an opportunity for the virus to spread. Most patients still want an electronic copy of their results anyway, requiring new testing sites to figure out how to store and communicate patient data and results in a secure fashion.
Solving COVID-19 results delivery challenges with secure texting
As new variants of the virus emerge and ongoing testing has become embedded into everyday life, timely and accurate results delivery remains important. At Providertech, we’ve seen firsthand how secure, automated texting is the fastest, most effective way to communicate results back to patients. And, we’d like to show you, too.
Rewatch this live webinar
In this February 2022 webinar, we discussed why traditional test results delivery fails and show you how technology can help you overcome obstacles preventing you from effectively communicating results back to patients.
During the webinar, we also:
- Demonstrated how automated texting can fit in seamlessly with your workflow
- Explained why a population health framework is vital to engaging your patients at the point of results delivery
- Sent an exclusive preview of what a test delivery via text looks like
- Answered questions you have about implementation, security, and more
COVID-19 results delivery doesn’t have to be burdensome. Let us show you. Rewatch this webinar here.
