In April, the Swaay.Health team will be attending two conferences where patient experience will be a key topic of discussion: Elevate PX (#elevatepx) by The Beryl Institute and the Healthcare Marketing & Physician Strategies Summit (#HMPS24).
Over the next few weeks we will be covering both of these conferences and bringing you the latest news, insights, and trends from the speakers as well as vendors at these events.
To help get the wheel turning, we asked the Swaay.Health Community to share their thoughts on patient experience – especially in light of the arrival of retail health. Some say these retailers like Walmart, Amazon, CVS, and Walgreens are the catalyst for change in patient experience. Others say that healthcare was already on the evolutionary path. We’ll be investigating both sides of the story in the weeks ahead.
In the meantime, here are four of the best quotes we received.
Soujanya (Chinni) Pulluru, MD – Co-Founder of My Precious Genes had a very simple, yet powerful statement on patient experience: People shouldn’t have to suffer because they can’t access healthcare or understand it.
I completely agree. Patient experience is not just about being able to book an appointment online, call into a hotline or be able to order food via the TV. It also includes improving health literacy, increasing access to care through care-at-home programs or programs to meet patients where they are, and providing care in the language patients understand.
Adam R Rarick-Varner, Senior Director for Health Care Strategy at LexisNexis Risk Solutions had this to say about the entry of retail health:
Retail care is booming, with CVS, Walmart, Dollar General, and other retailers expanding into primary care based on the premise that you may not see the same provider every time, but you can see them quickly. Consumer loyalty is eroding as patients are prioritizing convenience over continuity. However, research shows that a long-term relationship with a doctor leads to better health results – one recent analysis found that when patients lose their longtime primary care doctor, the number of emergency department visits and hospital admissions increases, as does their mortality rate. It’s incumbent on retail clinics and traditional healthcare entities to not sacrifice quality for convenience, and instead adopt strategies to bridge patients’ desire for convenience while maintaining a long-term relationship.
As consumers we want it all – convenience AND a relationship. Today it does seem like it is either-or in healthcare, but smart organizations are putting effort into offering both. It is a welcome trend.
Jamie Gier, Chief Marketing Officer at Dexcare also had a comment on retail heath:
In a blink, Amazon uprooted the retail sector, and the once humble, online bookstore is now a technology, e-commerce, and logistics titan with global influence. As a result, shopping has never been easier. It’s fast and delivered with just a few clicks — and patients expect the same level of convenience from healthcare providers. Amazon’s ethos of relentless customer obsession is finally working its way into health systems. And for good reason, as patients start on Google, rely on mobile devices, and are conditioned to use modern features like onsite search to discover the right care, at the right location. Innovative health systems are rethinking the traditional “find-a-doc” model because people choose care. And they want it now. It’s the “get care” approach that unifies services and resources – doctors, nurses, clinics and telehealth – to surface localized and relevant care options. It’s a retail-inspired strategy that moves us away from passive and one-size-fits all scheduling to a two-way experience that delivers convenience and choice each step of the way. A “shoppable” healthcare experience is not a dirty word, but how we reduce friction, engender loyalty and ensure patients get the best care with total convenience.
While it is true that healthcare and retail are not the same thing…from the patient/consumer perspective, it is difficult to understand why healthcare is unable (or unwilling) to provide simple conveniences that other industries have made routine. It wasn’t that long ago where we needed tellers in order to bank or travel agents in order to fly.
Finally, Kamal Anand, Chief Product Officer at Televox Healthcare shared his view on the influence that technology has had on patient experience (something that we will definitely be looking to cover over the next few weeks):
With advances in technology, we’ve seen dramatic shifts in the patient experience during the past five years. Where transactional, episodic interactions used to be the norm, now providers must be prepared to offer their patients conversational, actionable, and persistent messaging in the patient’s preferred channel across the entire healthcare journey. This omnichannel experience can be unified into a cohesive ecosystem with the patient relationship at its core by utilizing advanced patient relationship management (PRM) platforms. When outfitted with new technologies such as generative AI, these PRM platforms enhance patient experiences and outcomes while offering significant operational and financial benefits to practices and healthcare systems.
If you are going to be at ElevatePX or HMPS24 drop us an email or social media DM!
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