A recent report published by Sage Growth Partners and Docent Health shows how the consumer experience has become in 2019.
According to the report, 44% of surveyed respondents said that improving the consumer experience is their top strategic priority for the remainder of 2019. Another 25% said it was their second, and only 2% of respondents put consumer experience outside of their top five priorities.
The writers of the report put it simply: “Improving the healthcare consumer experience has never been more important for healthcare organizations.”
Many of the respondents hope that improving the consumer experience would lead to
Improved clinical outcomes
Improved patient retention
Increased patient engagement
Increased market share.
But how do these organizations actually go about making these changes?
“44% of surveyed respondents said that improving the consumer experience is their top strategic priority for the remainder of 2019”
Paving the Way To Better Experience
The report lists three common approaches to improving the consumer experience:
Leveraging Technology
Responders who leveraged various types of technology in an effort to improve the consumer experience reported using telephone calls (93), EHRs (90%), and patient portals (83%). Less popular technology includes text messaging with patients (39%) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platforms (35%).
Making Staff Changes
32% of responders mentioned hiring a C-suite executive dedicated to improving the healthcare consumer experience and another 70% were making an effort to incorporate more patient relations training.
Implementing Patient Navigation Programs
In an effort to help guide patients through their healthcare journeys, 57% of participants reported having implemented a patient navigation program that allows providers to send personalized communication straight to the patient.
“Technological changes can definitely help improve consumer experiences, but we’ve learned that success requires something a little more: a change of heart.”
Signs of a Bigger Shift
These efforts are all aligned with the shift towards a consumer-centric approach to healthcare.
Each change not only improves the consumer experience, but they have the power to make the entire healthcare process simpler and more convenient for patients, a factor at the top of the priority list for patients these days.
While these changes can definitely help improve consumer experiences, we’ve learned that success requires something a little more: a change of heart. Technology and executive changes have the power to take an organization far, but only when the people behind the technology get on board. And let’s face it, change isn’t always easy, especially when the processes being changed have been in place for a long time.
This is why we partner with our customers in their adoption of the technology. We want to provide top of the line technology, sure. But we also want to come alongside our customers to make the process as simple as possible so that they get the most out of our platform. Adding technology and implementing changes are great starts. But until entire teams see the value of these changes and actually start adopting the processes, the same problems will persist.
Blockit exists to make healthcare easier for everyone by helping health systems and providers increase patient follow-through within their narrow network. By combining advanced technology with expert service and support, Blockit’s helps remove the barriers that stand in the way of patient access and care.