Improving Patient Trust with Digital Communication

In today’s healthcare landscape, organizations that communicate effectively with their patients positively impact both satisfaction and outcomes. In fact, quality communication between patients and healthcare stakeholders influence health outcomes, such as enhanced patient motivation and involvement in treatment decisions.

However, the last several years have marked a shift in trust. Between April 2020 and January 2024, patient trust in the health system has declined by 30%. Over time, poor communication and negative healthcare experiences have left patients frustrated, diminishing the trust they have in stakeholders across the care continuum – from providers to payers.

The shifting dynamic of trust, combined with the trend of patients wanting to be active participants in their care plans, requires healthcare stakeholders to evolve strategies and meet patients where they are. While this comes with its own challenges — such as gaps in data, technology, and engagement strategies — effective communication in the digital age is paramount to building and maintaining patient engagement.

Patients need tailored touchpoints throughout their health journey to stay engaged with their care plan. To do this effectively, healthcare organizations must leverage technology and digital communication strategies to drive and retain patient engagement and experience end-to-end. 

Maintaining patient relationships through communication

The relationship between a patient and primary care provider (PCP) during in-person visits plays an important role in promoting effective healthcare and improving clinical outcomes. By taking a patient-centered approach and creating a space for understanding, providers can empower patients to take a more active role in their care, ultimately improving their outcomes. However, once patients step foot outside the doctor’s office doors, their engagement can be jeopardized if providers are not providing clear communication. For nearly 50% of patients, clear and improved communications will build their trust with their provider.

The same applies for health plan outreach. Many patients are dependent on their health plans for updates via text, phone, or email regarding appointment reminders, medication adherence, health education, coverage, and other critical information related to their care. Following in-person visits, digital communications is what connects healthcare organizations to patients to keep them informed on health updates and ensure engagement with their plan. Any poor and confusing communication may lead patients to distrust their health insurance plan.

By effectively leveraging digital communication strategies to deliver high-impact digital member activation, providers can tailor outreach catered to patients’ needs and drive personalized interventions along the consumer health journey. Simultaneously, we can empower patients to manage their healthcare experience with individualized recommendations and resources — taking the next best step in their health journey — such as scheduling screenings, attending follow up appointments, and understanding the care available to them.

What TCPA is teaching us about patient trust

As part of this shift towards greater digital patient engagement, the intricate trifecta relationship quickly becomes complex with new regulations coming into effect next April, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) Consent Revocation Rule. The new Consent Revocation rule sets out a series of requirements that companies must adhere to that let consumers more easily opt-out and manage their consent to receive automated calls and texts. 

Over the next year, healthcare organizations must work diligently to modify communications systems and ensure revocation requests are processed in accordance with the new rule. Currently, 80% of patients are unfamiliar with what the upcoming TCPA changes will have on healthcare communications. Using this time to adequately prepare is essential to establish compliant processes and more importantly, ensure health consumers are not unwittingly opting out of important health communications, leading to healthcare organizations dialing back correspondence that negatively impacts patient care

It is critical for providers and health plans to proactively educate their patients about these upcoming changes and outline clear options for consent management and opt-out. This includes informing patients of other communications enabled by their consent to assist them in making an informed choice. Any lack of clear disclosure poses a risk for confusion and distrust — essentially driving a wedge between the patients’ healthcare entities. Health plans must work closely with compliant partners to revamp their communication engagement strategies to reduce unnecessary opt-outs and maintain critical communications with patients, without overstepping regulatory boundaries.

The next several months are critical to fine-tuning communications strategies, making sure patients feel comfortable and in control of their preferences across channels, languages, and topics. Trust can be maintained for those upholding a commitment to quality and compliance by fostering more transparency, access to care, and personalized communication.

Fostering trust in a changing landscape

Increased levels of regulation like the TCPA are challenging healthcare organizations to rethink how they communicate with patients. We are in a moment that presents two clear needs: any policy put in effect needs to ensure all stakeholders are involved in the conversation, and providing transparency is essential to fostering trust with patients.  

Including key stakeholders in these regulatory discussions establishes shared understanding of the impact of new changes and ensures foundational compliance — that way messaging consistency is not disrupted, types of patient outreaches are personalized with topic-based consent, and engagement can be prioritized effectively. If stakeholders manage consent and opt-out in the right way, they can continually engage patients in the right way and foster improved outcomes.

We can’t disrupt the balance of patient-provider-payer trust with new and updated policies without involving the right stakeholders in the conversation. The future of maintaining patient trust requires thoughtful implementation of digital engagement strategies to anticipate their needs along their health journey and provide personalized experiences efficiently and in real-time.

Photo: zhaojiankang, Getty Images

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