Generative AI (genAI) has tremendous potential in healthcare, with payers enthusiastic about using genAI to enhance the patient experience and improve patient engagement and outcomes. A recent survey of CXOs at 350 U.S. health plans and health systems by HFS Research and Cognizant explored the impact of genAI on consumer experiences and engagement. The U.S. healthcare system is experiencing deteriorating health outcomes, declining life expectancy, an increase in chronic conditions, and opioid and mental health epidemics. At the same time, technological innovation is accelerating, AI systems are being adopted at scale, there has been a resurgence in digital-health-fueled primary care, and the introduction of innovative care models. Together there are significant opportunities for reducing costs, enhancing the experiences, and improving health outcomes.

One of the ways that these goals can be realized is through the use of genAI. Surveyed payers were convinced that gen AI was a game changer and would be invaluable in improving the efficiency of administrative functions, especially customer service and claims management, and they were also planning to use genAI to improve member engagement, health and wellness, and the value of coverage.

18% of payers plan to apply genAI to address member management, including hyper-personalization to improve member engagement and streamline interactions with providers. 16% said they plan to use genAI to address the needs of multiple generations and help them with disease prevention and wellness. 14% said they plan to use GenAI to develop dynamic health plans that can adapt throughout the year based on member needs and circumstances, gleaned from social determinants of health (SDOH) while tailoring plans to the individual. Providers generally accepted that genAI has the potential to have a positive impact on care delivery but were less convinced than payers about the impact genAI will have.

Across these two groups, more than 70% of respondents anticipated that the greatest impact of genAI would be on health outcomes and the consumer experience. Approximately 50% of payers and providers said they plan to invest between $1 million and $10 million in genAI, with around 70% of respondents saying that money will be invested in the next two years. While there is a great deal of enthusiasm around genAI and significant investment, only 20% of payers and providers have a GenAI vision, and that must change if they are to improve the success of their investments.

One of the main challenges highlighted by the survey will be the lack of appropriate skills. Payers and providers will need people with programming, statistics, machine learning, data processing, and visualization skills, and those skills are in high demand for other emerging technologies and managing current operations; however, using systems such as ChatGPT, which use plain English language, will reduce the demand for high skills without competing with applications that require technical skills. Further, since the skills to deploy genAI are geography agnostic, providers and payers will be able to recruit from the global talent pool.

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Patient scheduling software is software that can be used by patients to self-book healthcare appointments, by physicians to fill their schedules, and by medical practices to synchronize patient appointments with physician and treatment room availability in order to optimize the use of time and resources. Depending on the capabilities of the software and how it is used, there can be dozens of benefits of patient scheduling software. This article discusses the seven most common benefits.

How Does Patient Scheduling Software Work?

Patient scheduling software most often consists of a cloud-based appointment booking platform which integrates with a healthcare organization’s practice management system and EHR system. Patients access the platform via a web link, patient portal, and/or mobile app to see what slots are available for their preferred physician – or the most relevant physician – and self-book appointments. The booking platform automatically adds each self-booked appointment to physicians’ schedules.

Physicians access their schedules via a web portal or mobile app and can instantly see what their schedule looks like and where gaps exist. Depending on how the platform is integrated with an organization’s practice management system and EHR system, physicians can fill the gaps by sending a text message, email, or push notification via the platform inviting patients with non-urgent health needs (i.e., patients due for a routine health check) to book an appointment in an available slot.

The patient scheduling software gives practice managers a holistic view of patients’ bookings, physicians’ schedules, and – when the platform supports patient messaging – the nature of consultations (i.e., pediatric care, immunizations, home visits, etc.). The holistic view enables practice managers to ensure the right people are in the right place at the right time and that preparations are made (for example) for assisting patients with mobility issues or for consultations that may require infection containment.

The 7 Benefits of Patient Scheduling Software

Because different medical practices differ in size and operate in different ways, there is no one-size-fits-all patient appointment scheduling software. It is up to each individual practice to evaluate the options in order to determine the best patient scheduling software solution for their needs. However, whichever online patient scheduling system is selected, it should be capable of delivering the following 7 common benefits at a minimum.

#1 Improved Patient Experience

To fully appreciate how patient self-scheduling software can improve the patient experience, it is best to consider how the availability of patient self-scheduling software is preferable to a patient who lacks the confidence to speak on the phone about their condition with a receptionist, whose first language is not English, or who is too ill to speak – but capable of tapping buttons on a mobile device.

In addition, by giving patients the convenience to book appointments when the practice is closed, the control over which physician they see and when, and the ability to message the practice ahead of the appointment, patients are empowered to take responsibility for their wellbeing – leading to increased patient compliance with prescribed medications and therapies, and better patient outcomes.

#2 Minimized Patient Wait Times

One of the ways in which patient appointment scheduling software minimizes patient wait times is automated gap filling. It was mentioned above that, when a physician identifies a gap in their schedule, they can search practice databases to identify patients with non-urgent health needs and invite them to book an appointment in an available slot to fill the scheduling gap.

As an alternative, some patient appointment scheduling software can analyze appointments already booked for future dates to see if any match the available physician. These patients can then be contacted via their preferred channel of communication (i.e., text message, email, or push notification) to see if they would like to bring their appointment forward to fill the scheduling gap.

#3 Prioritized Care for Urgent Needs

The process of bringing appointments forward to fill scheduling gaps can also be used in reverse to push appointments back or reschedule appointments if a patient with urgent or complicated needs has to be prioritized. In such cases, the patient scheduling system can automatically contact patients with non-urgent appointments to advise them of the change of time/date and request confirmation.

Patients with urgent or complicated medical needs are more likely to require longer appointments or multiple appointments. To reschedule non-urgent patients manually is not only complex and time-consuming, but also prone to errors and miscommunications – notwithstanding that some patients with non-urgent appointments may become abusive over the phone when advised of the change.

#4 Reduced Cancellations & No Shows

A feature that all software for scheduling patient appointments should include is an automated patient reminder. Because some patients with non-urgent medical needs might book an appointment a long time in advance (i.e., during their next vacation from work), this feature sends a reminder to patients before appointments in order to reduce cancellations and no shows through forgetfulness.

The automated patient reminder feature should be customizable so the wording of the reminder can be adjusted to be appropriate for the circumstance. While it can be beneficial for patient attendance to send reminders that use strong and committed language, it may be inappropriate to send a strong and committed message to a patient who has made an appointment for grief counselling.

#5 More Efficient Resource Management

This benefit of automated online patient scheduling not only applies to making better use of physicians’ time, reducing the overhead of managing patient waitlists, and being able to turn off the heating earlier when a treatment room is not going to be used for the rest of the day, but it can also apply to other resources used by the medical practice.

One important resource for small to medium sized medical practices is staff training. All medical practices are required to provide HIPAA training, OSHA training, and emergency preparedness training, and it is difficult to provide group training when physicians have overlapping schedules. By scheduling patient appointments to coincide, staff training can be provided to all members of the workforce at the same time – making more efficient use of training resources.

#6 Improved Billing and Payment Processes

When patient scheduling software is integrated into a practice management system, practice managers can use the same communication tools as used by physicians to fill scheduling gaps in order to bill patients and send payment reminders. The difference between the two processes is, rather than a text message, email, or push notification directing a patient to an appointment scheduling portal, they are directed to a payment portal.

In some cases, integrations between patient scheduling software and practice management systems can support card-on-file payments – similar to those used by multiple online shopping websites. Card on file payments can accelerate collections from patients, reduce non-payments, and protect both patients and practices from credit card fraud. It is also claimed that card on file payments builds trust between practices and patients and contributes towards patient retention.

#7 HIPAA Compliant Messaging

Online patient scheduling and payment systems do not only have to be used for patient scheduling and payments. Cloud-based appointment booking platforms have to be secure by design to safeguard the privacy of Protected Health Information (PHI), and this means they can be adapted for other HIPAA compliant messaging purposes that can further improve the patient experience.

Patients may be able to raise health concerns via the platform that can be answered by a physician without the need to visit the practice. Patients may also be able to request copies of PHI or download PHI via the system, while physicians can send patients electronic consent forms to sign digitally ahead of a procedure. Practices can also use the platform to (for example) alert patients to a change in their HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices.

Patient Appointment Scheduling Software and HIPAA Compliance

Before using patient appointment scheduling software, it is important to consider the implications for HIPAA compliance. This is because no software (of any type) is HIPAA compliant, and even the best patient scheduling software can only support HIPAA compliance. In addition, depending on how the system is accessed by patients, it may be necessary to educate patients about online security.

The reason for educating patients about online security is if, for example, the patient scheduling system connects with an EHR so patients can view their medical histories, patients need to be alerted to the risks of using weak passwords (if the system is accessed via a web portal) or not PIN-locking their mobile devices (if the system is accessed via a mobile app). All advice provided to patients should be documented in case of a subsequent disclosure of PHI attributable to patient negligence.

Workforce members must also be trained on security best practices to prevent data breaches attributable to phishing, malware, and ransomware; while system administrators must ensure the patient appointment scheduling software is configured to comply with the Administrative and Technical Safeguards of the Security Rule (compliance with the Physical Safeguards is most often a shared responsibility between the medical practice and the software vendor).

It is also important that a Business Associate Agreement is entered into with the software vendor before any PHI is disclosed to the vendor and before the patient scheduling software is integrated with a practice management system or EHR. The requirements for a valid HIPAA Business Associate Agreement can be found here; and, if practice managers have any further questions about patient appointment scheduling software and HIPAA compliance, it is advisable to seek professional compliance advice.

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SparkPost is not HIPAA compliant because the terms and conditions of the now rebranded service prohibit violations of “any legal, regulatory, self-regulatory, governmental, statutory requirements of codes of practice”. As SparkPost lacks the safeguards to comply with HIPAA, any use of the service that discloses Protected Health Information (PHI) would be a violation of HIPAA.

SparkPost is an email service that enables customers to automate email processes (i.e., welcome emails), develop multi-step email campaigns, and send targeted bulk emails based on customer behaviors. Since the brand’s acquisition by MessageBird in April 2021, customers have also been able to take advantage of SMS marketing, WhatsApp marketing, and social media marketing capabilities.

The service’s appeal is likely to increase in the coming months following the announcement that MessageBird is being rebranded as Bird.com and reducing its pricing to below that of its main U.S. rivals. The motive behind the rebranding exercise is rumored to be an attempt to get a bigger foothold in the U.S. market for the Dutch-based company ahead of an IPO in 2024 or 2025.

Using SparkPost in the Healthcare Industry

For organizations in the healthcare industry that send bulk communications (i.e., newsletters), SparkPost can manage more outbound mail than most SMTP email services, has excellent delivery rates, and produces open and click tracking analyses. However, none of SparkPost’s services can be used to send PHI to contacts without the authorization(s) of the subject(s) of the PHI.

This is because – at present – SparkPost does not have the necessary safeguards to comply with the requirements of the HIPAA Security Rule. In addition, SparkBird’s parent company – Bird.com – will not currently enter into a Business Associate Agreement with customers. This may change if the rebranding and price drop attracts the interest of the U.S. healthcare market.

However, until this happens, the answer to the question is SparkPost HIPAA compliant is a solid “no”. Covered entities and business associates can use the service for bulk emails and allowable marketing activities, but not to collect, maintain, or transmit PHI. Organizations wishing to use a HIPAA compliant bulk communication service should review the many other available options.

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JotForm is HIPAA compliant and can be used to collect, store, and share Protected Health Information (PHI) provided businesses subscribe to a Gold or Enterprise plan and agree to the terms of JotForm’s Business Associate Agreement. Existing subscribers with a Starter, Bronze, or Silver plan must upgrade their plan to use JotForm in compliance with HIPAA.

JotForm is a software solution for creating online forms that can be used in the healthcare industry to simplify the collection and documentation of PHI. Use cases include collecting PHI during the patient intake process, documenting patient consent and authorizations, soliciting patient feedback, and scheduling appointments via forms embedded into a web page or patient portal.

JotForm integrates with multiple HIPAA compliant productivity and collaboration tools (i.e., OneDrive, Google Workspace, Salesforce, etc.) to streamline workflows and increase efficiency. Through these integrations, it is also possible to transmit PHI to EHRs or other systems to improve the patient experience. However, in order to use the software solution with PHI, it is first necessary to make JotForm HIPAA compliant.

How to Make JotForm HIPAA Compliant

The first step to making JotForm HIPAA compliant is to subscribe to a Gold or Enterprise plan, as these are the only two plans to support HIPAA compliance. Both the Gold and the Enterprise plans encrypt data, store data in a HIPAA compliant environment, and have the necessary access, activity, and auditing capabilities. Full information about JotForm and HIPAA compliance can be found here.

Organizations that have a Starter, Bronze, or Silver plan must upgrade their plan to make their use of JotForm HIPAA compliant. JotForm provides a wizard to help organizations upgrade to their new plan which imports data from the existing plan to the new plan and checks imported forms for compliance with HIPAA – highlighting any issues that need to be resolved before the forms can be imported.

Once a Gold or Enterprise plan is created, organizations are required to agree to the terms of JotForm’s Business Associate Agreement before using the account to collect, store, or share PHI. Like most major software providers, JotForm has a standard one-size-fits-all Agreement. Accounts holders must digitally sign the Agreement, after which a copy is sent to the account holder by email.

Considerations Before Using JotForm

JotForm is an excellent option for collecting, storing, and sharing PHI in compliance with HIPAA, but there are a few things organizations should consider before adopting the software solution or upgrading an existing plan to a Gold or Enterprise plan to make JotForm HIPAA compliant.

The first of these is how PHI will be transmitted from JotForm’s servers to individuals or systems. JotForm warns against the use of unencrypted email, but organizations should also be conscious of the fact that if an integrated service is being used (i.e., OneDrive), the integrated service also has to be configured to be HIPAA compliant and supported by a Business Associate Agreement.

In a similar vein, it is important to be aware that not all integrations with JotForm support HIPAA compliance. JotForm notes that although it is possible to integrate services such as HubSpot, Mailchimp, and Zapier into the platform, these services are not HIPAA compliant and should not be used to receive, store, or forward PHI to other services.

The final consideration is if an organization is an existing JotForm customer who currently collects non-covered data via website forms (i.e., names and phone numbers, but not health information). In such cases, it is worth considering that existing forms will be migrated from their current server to a secure server, and any embedded links to the existing forms will need replacing.

Organizations who are unsure about how to make JotForm HIPAA compliant or use JotForm in compliance with HIPAA should reach out to JotForm’s Support Team or seek compliance advice.

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