Addressing Failed Patient Follow-Ups During the Pandemic

One of the most widespread impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the delayed study. For many patients, their screening or diagnostic studies have been put on hold for the foreseeable future. But, the postponement is more than a simple delay – it is a compounding factor that is starting to make an already existing problem worse.

It is no secret in the industry that patients who fail to arrive for follow-up care are a pervasive pain point for practices. Add in the delay, the risk, and the fear associated with the pandemic, and it is recipe for an even deeper drop in imaging volume.

Related Content: Contacting Patients About Abnormal Findings Isn’t Enough to Prompt Follow-Up

To help practices address this issue – and potentially side-step it – Diagnostic Imaging spoke with Sander Kloet, senior director of product management, diagnostics, for Nuance Communications about his session during Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine 2020 Virtual Meeting. Here, he shares his insights on the frequency of the problem during the pandemic, strategies facilities can use to reduce the impact of failed follow-ups, and proactive tactics practices can implement.