pMD updated its Secure Messaging app to let patients contact their practice directly, opening a line of communication that has historically been difficult and time consuming for both parties. In addition, multiple providers can now group message with a patient, easily increasing collaboration among care teams and ensuring there are no costly miscommunications.

“Patients often find themselves in endless phone tag loops just to connect with their doctor,” Adam Kenney, VP of Software Engineering at pMD, said in a statement. “Our mission is to reduce medical errors, many of which stem from communication issues. That’s why we provide free technology to improve patient and doctor communication. Patients and doctors are both happier when communication is seamless.”

With pMD, patients are now empowered to raise their hands and ask for help or clarification at their convenience. Practices have an easy to use tool that allows them to maintain complete control of the conversation. With pMD’s customized chat routers, requests will always reach the appropriate person, whether it be a provider, administrator, scheduler, or biller. Once an episode of care is complete, the conversation can be closed, while still giving patients an avenue to initiate a new conversation with the practice if another issue arises.

Also new is the mentioned group chat feature which provides a platform for multiple members of a patient’s care team to communicate with a patient, ensuring everyone is always on the same page. Instead of numerous calls and faxes from provider to provider, the entire care team can interact with the patient via their mobile device in real-time, significantly limiting the back and forth for everyone involved.

In the coming months, pMD will continue to enhance it’s suite of provider to patient communication functionality with additional features such as secure in-app voice calling, voice memos, and automated appointment reminders.