Recently, at The Beryl Institute’s Elevate PX event, one panel addressed improving patient experience through mobile technology. The panel, sponsored and facilitated by Gozio, included Adam Cherrington, Vice President of Digital Health and Patient Voice at KLAS, Susan Akinyi-Okumu DNP MPA BSN RN CPXP, AVP Patient Experience Department at Temple Health, and Julie Marino, Manager, Product Management at Novant Health.
Each person on the panel brought a unique point of view. Julie emphasized the need for a patient-centric approach, while Susie shared her experience in developing tools and solutions for patient engagement. Adam highlighted the importance of including patients in the design process and making their voices heard. Throughout the session, they discussed the challenges and opportunities of digital transformation in healthcare, including the need for a unified digital experience, the importance of data, and the need for a patient-centered approach. They agreed that prioritizing investment in digital front door solutions and creating a cohesive, single digital front door is crucial to improving patient experience.
Patients Want Better Access through Mobile
- A new patient survey showed that 85% of patients tried to interact with their healthcare providers through their mobile device, with varying levels of success.
- The majority of patients want to manage their healthcare through a single platform and 50% would like that platform to be accessible on their mobile device.
- Currently, patients have to use many access points to manage their healthcare.
- There is a large gap between what CIOs say they offer and what patients say they have access to, and it appears that part of the problem is too many tools in too many locations.
- Patients are frustrated with too many access points both digital and in person and find navigating physical buildings challenging as well.
Mobile Helps Solve Bigger Problems
- Mobile can help address diversity, equity and inclusion. The data shows that almost everyone has a smartphone and uses apps. Adam wanted people to know that the idea that older people or low income people don’t have smartphones or use apps is a myth.
- Mobile wayfinding supports better physical navigation, getting patients where they need to go on time.
- Julie highlighted the success of the hospital's mobile app, which provides patients and families with real-time information and streamlines communication.
There Are Challenges to Overcome
- Julie discusses challenges in implementing the app, including resistance from some staff members and the need for ongoing marketing efforts to promote its use.
- Brand consistency in healthcare digital experiences is important and so is creating a seamless digital experience for patients, both of which are hard and require special skills.
- Julie and Susan discussed the challenges of navigating healthcare systems, both physically and digitally, and how to solve for these challenges on the patient engagement side.
- You need to get C-suite buy-in and that can mean getting them more engaged in the process.
Data Is Important and Difficult
- There is a lot of complexity in delivering personalized healthcare with a vast amount of data that needs to be analyzed. Data in healthcare is the most valuable asset and also biggest expense for health systems.
- There is a need for a platform that can access and integrate all of these data points to provide a seamless and efficient healthcare experience.
- Health systems need an ambassador to help bridge the gap between business and technical teams to discuss patient experience and the data revolution in healthcare.
What Success Looks Like
- The speakers agreed that success with mobile engagement means looking at how it meets patients where they are and provides a better experience.
- They also agreed that, at least initially, the key metrics are overall use and more importantly reuse. Are patients coming back again and again.
- Julie called out one of her priorities which is working towards the most streamlined process for patients. “I want to see short amounts of time on the actual app because that tells me that patients are getting what they need quickly. I want them to get there in one click instead of five.
This was an interesting panel that started out being about patients’ desire for mobile but really became about how to break down silos in healthcare and get patients the tools they need to simplify the patient journey.
To learn more about the latest research into digital patient engagement trends, download this report.