Five Reasons a Digital Front Door is a Healthcare Must-Have

Michele Perry, CEO of Relatient

Healthcare executives have seen an incredible increase in telemedicine adoption over the past year, while patient expectations for self-service, access and convenience have continued to rise. Fortunately, healthcare IT continues to offer healthcare executives new and enhanced tools to meet these expectations, so that telemedicine is not only offered but used alongside traditional personal care for a patient experience that truly suits patients.

Healthcare continues to refine the definition of a digital front door to better understand how it can serve patients and play a key role in achieving business goals. At its most basic level, the digital front door is a strategy that takes into account many patient access points and uses digital strategies to allow patients to interact with healthcare beyond normal business hours via mobile devices and with as few steps as possible. For healthcare organizations, implementing an effective digital doorstep can mean better patient outcomes, lower costs, higher revenues, and more. Here are five ways a digital front door can offer patients and providers alike.

The 5 most important advantages of a digital front door

1. Increased visibility and access for new patients

The availability of digital resources increases the accessibility of your healthcare system to new patients and increases your digital footprint. Patients go online first to discover their options and consider an online assessment with the same appreciation they would give a personal reference. Your digital doorstep is a strategy to ensure patients find you when they search for new healthcare providers.

2. Optimized patient access points

Despite the obstacles to patient access caused by the pandemic, patient expectations of the digital front door continue to grow. There is an expectation and need to bridge the gap between a patient and their health care provider so that they can easily make and change appointments, get answers to their medical questions, and fill out forms without having to phone a doctor’s office or fill out forms in person. Software solutions such as patient self-planning, automated waiting lists, automated health campaigns and digital patient registration help to open this door and offer a better patient experience.

3. An easier navigation process

Navigating healthcare can be an intimidating, overwhelming process. Simplifying and automating the user experience gives patients better information and access to help when they need it most. This process can be streamlined by the use of tactics like sending links to maps, driving directions and parking instructions, and even simple questions with text conversations.

4. Increased patient loyalty

Patients have more options than ever before, and it is easier than ever for patients to switch providers. Health organizations that provide a seamless experience from booking to appointment and making it incredibly easy for patients to communicate with will prevail over those who are slow to acquire. While telemedicine is part of this digital doorstep strategy, there are other aspects that need to be considered as well. Cohesive strategies that increase both in-person and telemedicine appointments and make it easier for patients to choose the options that are right for them will further help create a system that meets patient needs and expectations and encourages patients, always beforehand to start with their established vendors looking for retail clinics and emergency care locations.

5. Re-involve patients with delayed treatment

Although health practices are open and patients are ready to get in touch with health care providers again, there is still a lot of catching up to do. Patients have postponed a lot of care over the past year, some making their own choices out of fear or anxiety during COVID-19, while others found it more difficult to access care when they needed it. This is especially true for patients who are at high risk of developing chronic conditions such as heart disease or diabetes, as well as cancer. Helping patients get back on track with their preventive and follow-up care is key to good patient outcomes and to maintaining important quality assessments and recognitions. Automated tools like health campaigns and group messaging can make this process smart, reliable, and consistent. Linking tools like this one with a self-planning link further simplifies the process and makes it incredibly efficient to re-engage patients without monopolizing your staff.

Michele Perry is CEO of Relatient, a SaaS-based patient-centered engagement company that uses a modern, mobile-centric approach to improve patient-provider communication. Michele Perry has 30 years of software and healthcare technology experience, a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and a master’s of business administration from Harvard Business School.

source https://dailyhealthynews.ca/five-reasons-a-digital-front-door-is-a-healthcare-must-have/