Making Virtual Appointments Happen In Healthcare

During the pandemic, a new concept began to trend - Telehealth or virtual appointments. People began to schedule doctor's appointments virtually to avoid being exposed to the virus. During the initial quarter of 2020, telehealth visit numbers rose by 50% with most consultations being for adults between 18 and 49 years of age.  With aggressive adoption, it has gradually become very common to consult a doctor on virtual platforms. Like usual doctor visits, patients get to meet the doc and share their issues and symptoms. A virtual examination is conducted, followed by tests, submission of scanned reports, and only if the case is very critical, a physical visit is suggested. 

Virtual Health Appointments- the need of the hour!

The big news around this is that by 2026, the telemedicine market is expected to reach $186.5Bn. So, working for a healthcare organisation or owning one, the best move for you to achieve some dramatic growth is to make way for virtual Appointments. But, to allow virtual appointments you need to have the right application through which the appointments would be executed, along with that, you need the ability to access a commercial video chat platform and a stable video connection or internet connection. 

But first, let's count on the reasons that make virtual appointments every patient’s present-day favourite-

• Appointment At Patient's Comfort

Two-thirds of patients delay doctor visits and 23% of these people do so because it takes too long to visit a doc. Virtual appointments allow patients to visit doctors virtually based on their convenience. Even if they have a busy schedule, it's easier to take out time and get medical checkups done in their free time as they do not need to take a leave from work or arrange a babysitter for their kid.

• No Delay In Medical Assistance

A doctor's assistance is urgent help, the sooner a patient receives it, the better. Especially when it is about infectious diseases that tend to spread fast. So, when a patient identifies the slightest symptoms it is often advised to consult with a doctor immediately. Considering the risks and challenges in traveling for a doctor's visit, virtual appointments seem to be the most viable option. Without even having to leave your house they get the assistance they need and that too immediately. Further, it also protects other people by reducing the chances of getting exposed to germs.

• Wider Reach For Better Medical Assistance

Everybody should have access to the best quality of medical assistance available. Virtual Appointments make that happen. Now even when patients are not in a very viable position to reach the doc because of distance and other geographical barriers, they can still have access to doctors' exceptional diagnoses and advice through virtual appointments. 

To bring all these benefits to customers you need not be a tech pro. To manage and facilitate virtual appointments for your healthcare business, you just need to let Shopify- the eCommerce market assist you.  Shopify hosts plenty of applications that can easily set your services up for virtual appointments in minutes. 

Shopify Applications- Making Virtual Appointments Happen In Healthcare

Shopify applications have massively supported the healthcare industry in conducting several virtual appointments during this pandemic. These applications have plenty of amazing features and appointment management functionalities - they are secure, convenient and have all the potential to take your business to new heights.  

Wondering how to find the best fit for your business? Now that’s a trick question! Let us help you with that.

Appointo - Appointment Booking App

This application developed by the massively proficient team of SidePanda, is, to date, one of the best booking tools on Shopify. It manages virtual appointments, events, etc and also allows patients to book a slot at their convenience. It syncs with your or the doctor's work calendar and shows only the available slots for the patient to book.

Features

• Set up automated emails reminders, and automated notifications on booking confirmations, cancellations or rescheduling.
• Reschedules and cancels appointments in a few clicks without any hassle.
• Syncs seamlessly with the Google or Microsoft Calendar.
• Allows manual bookings, translations and more.
• Facility for customizing the booking timing based on the opening and closing hours.
• No need to sign up or register; one can quickly add appointments to calendars.
• Supports 18 languages, and the list includes all major languages.
• The app generates automatic links for zoom meetings.
• Allows customisation of the pre-booking questionnaires to know the basics of the patient prior to the appointment
• Has a customer-friendly feedback section.

The prime aim of this application is to save time, increase efficiency and ensure 100% error-free calendar scheduling with no overlaps. It has been reviewed to accelerate appointments through its enhanced service quality. Moreover, the data generated can be synced across platforms for review and further actions.

BookThatApp

Developed by Zetya Pty Ltd, BookThatApp is used for a varied range of booking appointments - starting from classes, product rentals, telehealth to events, and the list continues. There is no booking charge, and a simple click on the Book Now button makes it possible for Anybody to book an appointment based on their convenient date and time.

Features

• Facility for partial deposits or adding security bonds.
• Pre-configured booking forms, so both parties have no hassle.
• Sends customizable and automated reminders in email or SMS.
• Flexible booking options and one can quickly check the next available date.
• In the backend, has a very supportive and logical resource management setup.
• Gives a seamless omnichannel integration, being compatible with the Shopify POS system.
• Allows customization of the booking rules to avoid all miscommunications, overlaps or long wait hours.
• Powerful reporting features that help to maintain the operational workflow and have actional performance reviews.

BookThatApp is an all-in-one booking app that can meet all your expectations with its responsive design that can be accessed on all screen sizes and resolutions.

Easy Appointment Booking

Servicify developed this application to make online appointment booking an anybody-everybody task. With a simple UI and automated reminders, Easy appointment booking lives up to its name, indeed. 

Features

• This booking tool supports 1000+ bookings every day on Shopify.
• It has the facility to send automatic emails and text notifications to keep the customer updated.
• It helps to acknowledge the reasons behind cancellation or rescheduling. 
• You can also customize a follow-up email.
• This application helps prevent double booking.
• It supports multiple booking and multiple languages
• It has the facility to send automatic invites through Google Calendar.
• You can manage multiple team members and block specific dates based on the requirement.

With the Easy Appointment booking tool, you can save time and bring you multiple patients who otherwise struggle to make an online appointment.

Sesami: Appointment Booking

Sesami Inc. developed this application to support appointment booking for every selling service that is done online and in stores. With its attractive “Book Me” button, social media advertising support, intuitive control panel, and appointment linked payment scheduling features, Sesami is one of the most trusted booking solutions for Shopify.

Features

• Seamless integration for offering a personalized booking experience.
• Streamlined with tools like Zoom, Google Meet, etc, for conducting virtual meetings.
• Offers a complete team management package, it can schedule group appointments.
• Offers a fair choice to select auto-assign an appointment.
• Comes with appointment reporting for better insights and tracking.
• Google calendar can be easily synced with the application to avoid dropouts during appointment booking.
• Allows rescheduling of appointment cancellations along with automated notifications.
• Supports multiple languages for flexibility and supports worldwide timezone.

The reviews suggest that the application provides an exuberantly seamless booking experience along with a reliable checkout experience. With Sesami, hosting events, awareness classes, promotional checkups and paid medical health consultations have become easier - individually or in groups. 

Tipo

Tipo was developed as an application that focuses on delivering a seamless online booking experience. If you are looking for a booking service that can help you track the appointments, identify the date, status, location, etc. Tipo is the most efficient option for you. 

Features

• Helps to improve the conversion rate and also cuts down the manpower cost
• Booking facilities are available 24x7 and can be used by everyone.
• You can manage the appointment and the staff through the admin calendar.
• You can easily sync this booking tool with Google Calendar and Apple Calendar.
• Your customers and employees will get automatic email notifications.
• The dashboard showcases the booking activities and analytics.

It is an ideal booking tool for clinics and chambers. The process is streamlined - it allows the patients to book a medical visit and make the payment without hassle.

Tips to ensure the success of virtual appointments

To ensure that the process is accomplished smoothly, you need to follow these points:

• Ask the patient to take note of their medical concern and keep all their prescriptions and last medication details handy before joining the link.
• Specify that the device through which the appointment will be attended should be placed on a flat surface so that there are no glitches during the process.
• Dring medical appointments, camera quality and patient posture are also very crucial. Advice the patient to stay upright so that their face and upper chest are visible for proper diagnosis.
• If the patient is not in the condition to talk, advise them to have a family member provide the details on their behalf.
• Instruct both parties to use shorter sentences, it makes communication easier without missout anything.

With apps like Appointo, you can have a customized list of instructions, like the one shared above, displayed on the booking confirmation page. This would allow patients to ensure proper conduct during appointments and make the process seamless. 

Conclusion

Telemedicine might be a new concept and the idea of adopting it in your business might feel like a scary move to take. That would be the case only when you don't adopt the right Shopify application. This e-bazaar has a spectrum of feature-loaded applications that make virtual appointments feel like a walk on the lawn. So, use our guide, choose the right app and give your business the new virtual wings.