Healthcare business is a business of relationships. Today’s patients are much better-informed customers of healthcare services than ever before, with increasingly high expectations regarding health outcomes for them and their families. They now have multiple sources of health information, from smartphones, fitness trackers, and other health monitoring devices to mobile applications that allow them to access their electronic health records (EHRs) and schedule appointments.
Healthcare consumers seek to know more about the healthcare services provided to them, they expect personal healthcare tips, reminders, appointment updates, and personalized attention, and they are aware that prevention is key to better health outcomes.
Especially the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a massive increase in the number of patients accessing virtual care or telehealth services, and this trend will continue.
YouTube Health has just opened a new door for health professionals to bring high-quality health information into the homes of patients. Medical professionals can now apply to make their videos eligible for the video-sharing app’s health product features.
Healthcare organizations are beginning to become aware of the importance of patient experience and have started to implement portals and other digital features. But they are not always meeting patients’ needs and expectations.
It’s essential that leaders of healthcare organizations understand the importance of creating a patient-focused experience in order to keep up in this new era of digital healthcare transformation. This requires some rethinking, restructuring, and lots of changes. Transitioning traditional healthcare models to a personalized, digital-enabled healthcare experience is a huge endeavor as the bar has been raised considerably.
“For health information (HI) professionals who work in diverse workplace settings where health information is managed, helping the healthcare system better meet the needs of healthcare consumers—whether directly or indirectly—may require an evolution of their current skills and roles.”
In addition, there is heightened awareness of the impact of social determinants of health (SDOH). “According to County Health Rankings, only 20 percent of an individual’s health is related to clinical care, with the remaining 80 percent connected to health behaviors, social and economic factors, and physical environment.”
Digital technology can substantially enhance the relationship between provider and patient. As long as healthcare focuses on the quality of care and sees patients as individuals with different needs and expectations, it’s the right track to an improved healthcare consumer experience.
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