Today’s patients are bringing expectations from the consumer market into their healthcare interactions and healthcare providers, hospitals, and health systems must increase investment in the process of merging customer & patient engagement mindsets to compete.
Five critical areas of influence must be at the top of the priority list: treating patients as consumers, planning a modern patient journey, prioritizing the digitization of patient touchpoints, working in a phased approach, and striving for continuous improvement.
- Patients as Consumers — 33% of patients whose experiences didn’t live up to their expectations said they were “less likely to seek care next time”.
- Plan the Patient Journey — from initial interaction to final discharge, every step or touchpoint must be analyzed and properly deployed.
- Prioritize the Right Touchpoints — automation and digitization are critically important, but human empathy and live interactions must remain.
- Consider the Phased Approach — by improving patient touchpoints over time, health systems can create fast ROI without disrupting the way staff work throughout the day.
- Foster Continuous Improvement — digital patient feedback and staff input work together to identify areas better action items for health systems.
