By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Patient-Physician Email: An Untapped Competitive Advantage
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > eHealth > Patient-Physician Email: An Untapped Competitive Advantage
eHealth

Patient-Physician Email: An Untapped Competitive Advantage

Stewart Gandolf
Stewart Gandolf
Share
4 Min Read
email healthcare marketing
SHARE

email healthcare marketingWith very little encouragement, a professional colleague of ours will enthusiastically explain why her personal physician is an outstanding provider.

email healthcare marketingWith very little encouragement, a professional colleague of ours will enthusiastically explain why her personal physician is an outstanding provider.

As it happens, her hero-physician is highly skilled, credentialed and experienced. But one of the top reasons that she will recommend her physician is that the practice actively uses text messages and patient-physician email to enhance communications and the service relationship.

If her doctor is running late for an appointment, the practice will notify her via a text message. When lab results are available, a notification email arrives. And if she—or any other patient—has a routine question for the doctor, a secure email system enables a patient-physician interaction.

More Read

Image
Interview with Jim Welch, EVP, Sotera Wireless
Who Will Drive Social Media Use in Health Care? Part 3
How Can We Improve the Clinical Consultation?
Privacy and Security and the Internet of Things
Looking Ahead: Digital Technologies That Will Transform the Medical Industry Forever

For this patient, and many others in this practice, the benefits of email and text connectivity deliver a uniquely higher level of service than the competition. What’s more, this patient (and probably many others) enthusiastically makes referrals and recommendations.

Patient-Physician Emails: A Best Practice Standard 

Of course, excellence in clinical care and positive outcomes are significant considerations. But from a patient’s perspective, a clearly differentiating factor is that this practice has stepped into the 21st century, using the contemporary digital tools that patients expect.

Surprisingly, fewer than one in three doctors in the US use email for patient communications. This also means that the majority of medical practices or hospitals have an opportunity to grab a competitive advantage by embracing patient-physician email.

Physicians opposed to the concept raise reasonable concerns, including compensation, workload issues and confidentiality constraints. But the reasons that encourage a change in mindset are growing:

  • Patients are increasingly empowered as consumers and they say they want it
  • Patients expect the same convenience factors common in other businesses
  • Patients are willing to change providers for email and digital access

And perhaps the most compelling reason, according to a Kaiser Permanente study, is that patient-physician emails improve care quality. “One-third of chronic condition patients who exchanged emails with their care providers said the communication improved their care,” according to the Kaiser study published in The American Journal of Managed Care. Am J Manag Care. 2015;21(12):e632-e639

“Patients reported using email broadly to initiate conversations with their providers, and patients with higher out-of-pocket costs for in-person visits were more likely to choose e-mail as a first contact method,” the study concluded. “Use of secure emails reduced patients’ use of other types of healthcare and resulted in improved overall health.”

For additional insight, read: Physician Entrepreneur: Time to Embrace Patient Email Access.

Stewart Gandolf, MBA

Author information

Stewart Gandolf
Stewart Gandolf
Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder at Healthcare Success Strategies
Stewart Gandolf, MBA, is CEO of Healthcare Success, a medical marketing and health care advertising agency. He is also a frequent writer and speaker. Most importantly, he is happily married and a “rock-n-roll daddy” to two wonderful girls.
TwitterGoogle+LinkedIn

The post Patient-Physician Email: An Untapped Competitive Advantage appeared first on Healthcare Success.

TAGGED:digital healthemail communicationpatient-provider relationship
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

a woman walking on the hallway
6 Easy Healthcare Ways to Sit Less and Move More Every Day
Health
September 9, 2025
Clinical Expertise
Healthcare at a Crossroads: Why Leadership Matters More Than Ever
Global Healthcare
September 9, 2025
travel nurse in north carolina
Balancing Speed and Scope: Choosing the Nursing Degree That Fits Your Goals
Nursing
September 1, 2025
intimacy
How to Keep Intimacy Comfortable as You Age
Relationship and Lifestyle Senior Care
September 1, 2025

You Might also Like

Image
BusinessSocial MediaTechnology

Small Practice Medical Website Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

March 14, 2016
Cloning
Medical Records

EMR-Wars: Attack of the Clones

September 28, 2012
social media channels
eHealthSocial Media

10 Great Social Media Channels to Use in HealthCare

October 15, 2013

Telehealth Means Better Care for Patients and a New Business Opportunity for Care Delivery Organizations

July 18, 2012
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?