Chapter 12
Communicating and Marketing Your EHR
In This Chapter
Defining EHR for your patients
Knowing what to say
Creating a multimedia campaign
Getting patients to spread the word
An important part of your EHR adoption and implementation process is communicating the news that your practice has joined the electronic revolution. Doing so provides a terrific opportunity to connect with patients and the public about your new EHR and your organization. Your initial EHR-related communications can set the tone for your overall communication strategy going forward.
Harris Interactive reports that a mere 16 percent of U.S. adults have discussed an EHR with their healthcare provider. Who knows why that number is so low, but one thing is for certain — communicating changes your practice is going through to patients and getting them on board with all things electronic can be a challenge. But it’s one that you must address if you want patients to buy into the new EHR reality. You want patients to become comfortable with the idea of having their health records exist in e-form. You also want them to understand that by using an EHR, they can more actively participate in their healthcare management. Your goal is to allay their concerns about privacy and security and get them invested in the benefits EHR has to offer them.
Your patients have the potential to be some of your biggest EHR champions ...
