Written by Toni Robak on Feb 25, 2015
4 Reasons Why You Need a Patient Engagement Strategy
We are pleased to introduce Toni Robak as part of our Leadership Series, The Consumer Experience. Ms. Robak is a health strategist and the Director of Consulting Services for MedHost. She has over twenty years of leadership experience in the healthcare community. Follow her on Twitter, @TRobak_mHealth.
Disruptive change within the healthcare industry has been fueled by federal mandates, shifting payment models and consumer demands coupled with retail competition, brand loyalty and the “digital consumer experience.”
According to the 2012 Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, U.S. healthcare expenditures totaled $1.35 trillion dollars. Demand for convenient, low cost, healthcare options has fueled retail health and mobile technology as accelerants of care. As a result, there has been a surge of ambulatory health clinics development. According to the Urgent Care Association of America, ambulatory medical clinics have increased 20 percent since 2009.
Patient Engagement Has Emerged as an Essential Component of Any Healthcare Organization’s Strategy
In the era of value-based purchasing, bundled payments and shared savings programs, an effective patient and consumer engagement strategy should be the cornerstone of every healthcare organization’s strategic plan in 2015. Here are the top four reasons why.
1. Quality
Patient engagement has the potential to improve quality of care and lower costs. The key reasons for investing in patient engagement are attached to evolving population demands and governmental actions to mitigate healthcare expenditures.
2. Reimbursement
Disease management in the United States is shifting from acute to chronic conditions, which account for three of every four dollars spent on healthcare. Successful healthcare organizations will manage populations cost effectively through virtual engagement, enhanced patient participation and improving both compliance and wellness.
3. Satisfaction
Federal mandates, shifting risk—whether from a hospital, accountable care organization (ACO) or PCMH—compensation will be linked to patient experience.
4. Loyalty
Consumerism and competition is driving healthcare providers to rethink how they do businesses. Patients are now customers first, and consumer choice is fueling brand acceptance and loyalty. Their expectations for service are much higher.
Consumer driven demand and industry disruption of this magnitude has challenged traditional healthcare delivery models and highlighted the status quo as unsustainable. Strategic positioning and automation will be key to influence, or drive, consumer engagement as the country shifts to value based care.
If you don’t have a full-spectrum engagement strategy, you may want to consider implementing one, (yesterday).
This post was originally published on LinkedIn.