CLEAR BENEFITS: The pilot found that patients were not only more likely to arrange and attend their follow-up appointment if prompted by a text message, phone call or e-mail reminder, they were also less likely to be readmitted to hospital.
A 10-month Philadelphia hospital text message and email reminder pilot scheme cut its 30-day readmission rates among chronic heart failure patients by 10%.
The pilot, which involved 368 congestive heart failure patients and a total of 784 discharges, found that patients were not only more likely to arrange and attend their follow-up appointment if prompted by a text message, phone call or e-mail reminder, they were also less likely to be readmitted to hospital.
