AGH Launching New Mobile Patient Experience Platform

Text-based solution will improve communications between patient and provider

Berlin, Md. – On November 24, 2020, Atlantic General Hospital and Health System will roll out a new text-messaging system that will improve patient-provider communication and put important healthcare information right at a patient’s fingertips.

The secure, HIPAA-compliant mobile patient experience platform (MPE) includes features for inpatients as well as patients of Atlantic General Health System that will be rolled out in three phases over the next eight months.

During the first phase, inpatients who furnish their cell phone number at the time of registration with receive a text when they are discharged that includes links to pertinent patient education and the details of their care while in the hospital. They will be texted again 24 hours after discharge to make sure they’re staying on the path to recovery in the critical period between their hospitalization and the follow-up appointment with their physician. In subsequent phases, patients will be able to check in electronically through the MPE platform, and discharged patients will receive texts with secure links to their care plans.

In addition to appointment confirmations and reminders and the ability to cancel appointments via text, patients of Atlantic General Health System will receive texts with secure links to their care summaries and patient education materials during Phase 1. In future phases, health system patients will be able to schedule appointments online, fill our pre-appointment forms, and check in for appointments through text messaging.

Many of these features mirror tools available in the FollowMyHealth (FMH) patient portal, but will be readily accessible to more patients who have provided a cell phone number but have not yet registered for a patient portal account.

Additionally, the platform offers patients an easier way to provide feedback regarding their hospitalization or appointment, with a simple survey texted 24 hours after discharge. Patients will also be able to receive text notifications of closures due to inclement weather and other urgent announcements.

“We’re excited to be moving forward with the MPE program,” said Jonathan Bauer, vice president of information services for Atlantic General Hospital and Health System. “Text messaging is something that a large majority of our patients engage in on a frequent basis, so this is a great way to reach them quickly and provide the information they need to make the best decisions for their health.”

About Atlantic General Hospital

Atlantic General Hospital has been providing quality health care to the residents of Worcester, Wicomico, Somerset (Md.) and Sussex (Del.) counties since May 1993. Built through the commitment and generosity of a dedicated community, Atlantic General’s main facility in Berlin, Md., combines the warmth of personalized attention with the reassurance of medical expertise and advanced technology. The not-for-profit hospital provides quality specialty care in oncology, medical and surgical weight loss, orthopedics, and women’s diagnostics among other services. Atlantic General Health System, its network of more than 40 primary care providers and specialists, cares for residents and visitors throughout the region. For more information about Atlantic General Hospital, visit www.atlanticgeneral.org.

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