It’s no secret that technology has been deeply integrated into healthcare in areas like patient care, administrative tasks, research labs, and operating rooms but its role has been evolving in the industry. In recent years however, the use of technology in the healthcare industry has shifted to include a more patient-centric approach and patient experience has become critical in developing interactions that are supported by the latest technology.
Today’s patients now are becoming healthcare consumers who shop for medical care and do comparisons as if they would do for other consumer goods and services. Increasing usage of online tools enable patients to do these searches and comparisons online and this digital-focused behavior has resulted in an even more competitive healthcare marketplace.
As in other industries, providing a positive customer or in this instance, patient experience is becoming much more valuable than simply prioritizing patient outcomes which have been traditionally of singular importance.
Patient experience includes all the patient-facing elements of healthcare organizations such as hospital staff, the environment, and the overall patient care quality. Excellent patient experience is about the entire patient journey which starts from scheduling an appointment to follow-up visits and every other interaction that happens in that process.
Technology that improves patient experience has a key role in this journey as patient-centric care becomes more important in the overall strategies of healthcare organizations. Many healthcare IT executives have been increasingly prioritizing patient experience in their budget initiatives. Personalization and convenience have been the main drivers of these initiatives and will determine the overall spend that is dedicated to technology by healthcare organizations.
In this article, we take a look at the ways emerging technology can improve patient experience:
Patient experience starts with the very first appointment they make and technology has the ability to transform processes and make improvements such as simplifying appointment-system and doctor visits happening on time.
Also, to streamline processes to create better experiences, healthcare organizations can use certain technologies to provide more convenient payment and scheduling options by existing operations.
Increasingly more patients are willing to take control of their health data and communications with their healthcare providers. So, that will make those tasks, such as prescription refills or access to test results, more streamlined have become key in enhancing the patient experience.
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Patients today expect to get quick access to healthcare, in a similar manner as they expect to get administrative tasks done quickly and easily. The fact that it often takes as long as it does to see a doctor dissuades many patients from making appointments as they become frustrated with the wasted time. In fact, PwC revealed that long waiting times negatively affect patient confidence and the perceived quality of a healthcare organization. And even though it’s a new concept, according to a report by Mordor Intelligence its value is predicted to reach more than $66 billion by 2021.
Telemedicine makes healthcare more accessible and convenient for patients and it’s a cost-effective solution for healthcare providers. It has many benefits for both patients and doctors as well as it enables easier online interaction between both parties. Exchanging medical information becomes more effective using telemedicine as by using telemedicine software patients can get diagnosis and treatment without having to make appointments. Also, patients who live in rural areas where they have difficulties getting access to healthcare can reach their doctors virtually at the comfort of their homes.
In a similar fashion to other customer-focused industries, healthcare organizations also face similar challenges in their hospital systems which include critical data of workflows, admissions, medical processes. Using data analytics can help tremendously to increase efficiency on these operational and decision-making issues. If used effectively, healthcare analytics can enable organizations to reduce costs and positively affect patient-facing operations to improve the patient experience.
Data analytics enables more personalized patient care and helps to forecast resourcing needs and streamline patient processes. Analytics can also play a critical role in clinical decisions by providing a data-driven approach and optimize recommendations to doctors and alert them in advance of procedures.
Another area where healthcare organizations can benefit from using data analytics is measuring patient satisfaction through post-visit surveys or follow-up emails which then can be used to identify the services that create dissatisfaction.
As increasingly more patients expect a similar customer-centric approach as they get through retail or other industries, healthcare organizations will need to put digital transformation as a priority to improve their patient experience. The role of technology in healthcare is shifting according to this new trend and solutions that will leverage a more personalized and convenient service are becoming more crucial for organizations.
At Veriday, we believe embracing new technologies can really improve the overall patient experience, and the organizations that aim to create seamless and modern patient experience will be the most successful.
to start your digital transformation journey to create better patient experiences and outcomes.
Since 2005, we’ve used innovative technology solutions to help solve marketing and consumer engagement issues for numerous brands including Google, Canadian Tire and RBC Financial to name a few. Since our inception, we’ve translated those early successes into helping many of the largest corporations in both Canada and the US, drive usage and deliver user-centric experiences to their employees and clients.
We’ve become a leader in transformative digital experiences and continue to take a user-first approach to ensuring that the end customer is at the center of our planning, across all channels and interactions.
Veriday’s diverse experience, products and professional services have allowed us to effectively tailor enterprise solutions for partners operating across industries including healthcare, financial services, government, insurance and engineering, providing us with critical insights and deep customer relationships throughout North America.
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