Madison usually shares information about new products and lasers, but this month I took over the newsletter to share exciting news about some innovative technology we are implementing, designed to streamline patient care.

First, we {finally} upgraded our phone system. When you call the office, you will hear a new interactive voice response menu that will help route your call to the correct department and hopefully provide you with faster service.

Second, patients have been asking for YEARS for the ability to text the office for appointments, prescription refill requests, or questions that arise following treatment. However, we take privacy and your personal health information seriously and texting is an insecure form of communication that puts your health information at risk. But now, our office has implemented Klara.

Klara is a secure messaging service that allows patients to communicate with the staff by text! There are several ways you can reach us using Klara. You can text us directly at 678-673-3840 or utilize the widget on our website. (Look for the purple “text us” link on the top right corner.) You can also call the office at 770-360-8881 and press zero for the phone-to-text feature. Once you press zero, you will hear a short message and then the call will disconnect, and you will receive a text with instructions to verify your identity and reach our office via the Klara messaging system.

Patients can use Klara for prescription refills, questions for the clinical staff, appointment requests or to change existing appointments, or even send photos to the clinical staff following a procedure if you have questions about how things are healing. Our office staff will use Klara to follow up after procedures and to provide you with biopsy and lab results. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, we still recommend that you call 911 or seek treatment at the nearest emergency room and for after hour dermatologic emergencies, you will want to call the main office number at 770-360-8881 and follow the prompts to leave a message for the on-call provider, who may then use Klara to respond. Klara does not replace the patient portal but is designed to enhance the patient communication experience. And Klara is not just a text messaging service. It is also an appointment reminder system that allows us to collect certain forms and required information prior to your appointments to speed up the registration process. Soon, it will allow you to complete the check-in process without logging in to your patient portal account or a separate application. It will also let you know when your insurance has processed your claim and you have a balance due, sending you a link to pay your balance quickly and securely.

And the third updated technology you will start seeing this summer is the use of an ambient listening tool during your office visit. This innovative process is designed to deliver a transcription of your visit as part of the chart documentation. This will free up the providers’ time to provide direct patient care by reducing administrative tasks and ensuring that information discussed during your appointment is accurately recorded in your medical record. This tool is built into our current electronic medical record software and is HIPAA-Compliant, using the highest encryption standards to ensure that your personal health information remains secure.

We are excited to implement these technologies to aid us in providing the best possible care to our patients.

Tami Shields, Practice Administrator

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