Healthcare systems are long overdue for a revamped, consumer-focused experience. Despite being essential, healthcare delivery continues to be a confusing experience for many, often filled with cumbersome and repetitive bureaucratic processes for patients and healthcare practitioners.
Given the tremendous regulatory burden, new therapeutic options, proof of compliance mandates and payer requirement schemes, the challenges of providing standout, patient-centered care are daunting. We must effectively manage these operations invisibly—as the Google search bar does with its one box. Of course, streamlining processes takes significant time and resources, and healthcare operates on slim margins. However, it’s essential to find ways to increase efficiencies.
Successful change management starts with analyzing the current state of a system and then creating a road map to the desired future state. This approach is structured similarly among industries. It starts with disciplined mapping of each step in the journey, testing potential improvements, and then measuring results.
The process repeats in response to changing consumer needs, organization capacities and environments. In healthcare, this includes advancing operational elements in the care journey, ensuring quality and safety and improving satisfaction while being mindful of the need to protect patient information.
In mapping patient care, we typically begin with access—the first call or click. Few would describe this process as simple from the patient perspective in most health systems; it must move from complex to seamless. For example, Miami Cancer Institute is among the many healthcare institutions implementing digital self-registration platforms. Previously, patients physically visited multiple locations to register and check in. After applying advanced back-end technology, patients can now easily register at home before seeing a caregiver.
At Miami Cancer Institute, this led to a self-service intake rate of 82% during the first week of implementation and a 98% satisfaction rate with the process in three months. Our patients are clearly ready for change.
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