As an autism treatment center, you need to stay connected to your patients and their families so you can provide the best possible care. In today’s highly digital world, this means leveraging the power of mobile technology. For the last five years, more than half of web traffic1 has been mobile, and this number is only increasing.
For autism care programs, a mobile-optimized website may not be enough. Developing your own autism mobile app can help you provide better care for your patients, communicate with them and their families more effectively, and schedule appointments more efficiently.
Why a Mobile App?
Today we’re looking at three reasons why mobile apps are so important for autism treatment centers and how you can incorporate this tool into your center’s digital marketing strategy.
1. Apps Encourage Communication
Autism spectrum disorder is a complex condition, and most patients find their needs evolve over time. This means that patients and their support systems have to maintain consistent communication with their doctors. As an autism treatment center, you likely communicate with your patients far more often than a standard doctor’s office.
Managing this communication can be tricky for both patient and provider. One of the greatest benefits of developing an autism mobile app is that you’ll have a secure method for patients to communicate with their doctors and therapists directly from the tool people use most—their mobile phones.
The way people access healthcare, including behavioral healthcare, has undergone a lot of changes over the past few years as a result of the global pandemic. And one of the major changes was the increase in telehealth and virtual appointments.
A mobile app can offer secure telemedicine appointments that are fully compliant with industry regulations. The appointment format can range from a text chat feature to video appointments. And telemedicine allows potentially stressed-out patients and their families to contact your center with quick questions, rather than having to make an in-person appointment.
2. Apps Provide Access to a Wealth of Information
Your mobile app can also function as a resource about autism spectrum disorder and related conditions. An easy-to-access app is a great platform to post answers to FAQs, medication information, and much more. Some medical apps even incorporate chat bots to help users find the information they’re looking for.
Education works great as the cornerstone of your app and can be an effective part of your center’s marketing strategy. Offering helpful content in your mobile app ensures the information your patients and their families are getting is accurate.
Using your app as an autism resource establishes you as a credible industry leader and draws in new patients who might not have found you otherwise.
3. Apps Make Appointments Easier
Autism spectrum patients need to visit their care providers on a regular basis, and an app makes this process more efficient for both the treatment center and the patient.
Patients can make or change appointments on their smartphone, rather than having to spend time going through a complex phone system. You can also set your app to automatically send notifications to your patients before their appointments, resulting in fewer missed appointments.
Payment and insurance information can be managed in the app, which is helpful for intake and outtake. Grouping all these features in one place helps your team stay organized and efficient. And appointments are far less stressful for patients and their families.
How Can We Launch an Autism Mobile App?
Mobile apps provide value to your patients while also serving as an effective marketing tool for your autism treatment center. If you don’t already have an app, the process of launching a mobile app may seem daunting. But it doesn’t have to be.
Dreamscape Marketing can help you develop an app that effectively markets your autism treatment center and offers the features your patients need. Contact us today at 888.307.7304 to schedule a strategy session.
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