Unlocking the Digital Front Door

The following is a guest article by John Squeo, Senior Vice President of Provider and Healthcare Services at CitiusTech

With IT powerhouses entering healthcare and consumers enjoying a seamless and intuitive digital experience in their daily lives, the pressure is on for healthcare organizations to create effective digital front doors that improve patient care and enable providers and payers to be more efficient and effective

The revolution is real. In any given month, Amazon.com, the front door for one of the most successful technology companies in history, sees more than two billion visits. Consumers who click on the prominently displayed “Amazon Health” tab are met with an invitation to learn more about One Medical, “the doctor’s office, reimagined.”  

Simultaneously, at Walmart.com, where more than 350 million visits occur monthly, shoppers are met not only with an overview of store departments, but also a listing of the many services the company offers, among them those for health and wellness, including a pharmacy that promises to lower costs and Walmart Health, launched in 2019.  Now operating 32 clinics in five states, it recently announced significant expansion plans. 

For physician practices, payers, hospitals, and health systems, the takeaway is clear. The consumerization of healthcare and more to the point – the digitization of the patient experience that is required to satisfy it – is no longer theoretical. It is not only occurring, but radically accelerating as consumers of every age and from every walk of life demand the same intuitive, easy and transparent experience in healthcare they enjoy in their daily lives, whether it’s shopping online or finding the perfect movie on Netflix. 

As a result, the digital front door – the first point through which patients, and the payers and clinicians who serve them, engage one another is now an operational imperative for every healthcare organization. But what does this mean for incumbents? How can they create a digital front door that rivals the technical wizardry of the tech giants and online retailers? What technologies will be involved, and what are the key factors of success that must be considered?

For even cursory answers, we first agree on how to define a digital front door. While unique to every healthcare organization, effective digital front doors all have characteristics in common. First and foremost, they are platforms that provide a consistent, transparent, intuitive, and personalized experience for care navigation – not just for patients, but also providers and payers. 

By default, they must work equally well not only for all stakeholders involved, but they must also incorporate numerous channels of communication and interaction. These include websites, patient portals, member portals, electronic health records, call centers, chatbots, mobile devices, and more. 

They must also incorporate myriad technologies, innovations and tools – among them software-defined infrastructure, the cloud, machine learning, customer relationship management, data analytics, business intelligence, military-grade encryption and security, and increasingly ChatGPT-like generative artificial intelligence – all while working seamlessly with a wide range of wired and mobile devices. Not surprisingly, for many organizations creating a digital presence that addresses such perimeters is both daunting and complex; however, keeping three key trends digital front doors both address and reflect, as well as the requirements they demand, in mind can help ensure that organizations begin their digital front door journey on the right foot.

Digital Front Doors Reflect and Enable Organizations to Address Three Key Trends

Providers and Payers will be Known by their Digital Presence

Just as omnichannel retailers and tech industry natives are known by the convenience and utility they offer online, providers and payers will likewise be judged not only the digital experience they provide, but by also how effectively they communicate what makes them unique in each and every interaction with the patient. Everything from the personality and talents of physicians to the added benefits associated with specific health plans must be conveyed effectively and elegantly. As a result, a seamless and consistent experience must be provided in every interaction, whether it’s online, in-person, on the phone or in an inpatient or outpatient setting. Most patients will use numerous channels.

Patients will be Recognized and Treated as Individuals

The dreaded paper form that treats patients as strangers in every interaction will be replaced by a front door greeting that immediately lets individuals know they are recognized, known and valued. As a result, technology systems will be required to immediately and effectively confirm the identity of all individuals regardless of which form of communication they prefer – not only to increase engagement, but to ensure that personal and medical information remains secure and private. 

Data by Necessity will be Processed and Analyzed Much Faster

Fresh data will play a critical role. Patients’ communications preferences for example will need to reflect intelligence gained in interactions made in the past month or two, while the availability and results of diagnostic tests, for example, will need to be conveyed in real time. As a result, data management and performance will be crucial – a reality that will impact how organizations adapt legacy systems or whether they build from scratch.

Creating an effective digital front door is a complex and difficult undertaking that requires not only technology expertise, but also a keen understanding of the workflows that occur in healthcare environments and the crucially important compliance requirements involved. But regardless of the resources they have at hand, even a well thought out, but initial effort to create an effective digital front door can deliver tangible benefits and increase both current and prospective patient engagement. 

About John Squeo

John Squeo, senior vice president of provider and healthcare services at CitiusTech, considers health our greatest gift and is on a mission to ensure that all have access to quality care. A veteran CIO at hospitals, John also brings significant Big Four consulting experience in healthcare cloud, interoperability, blockchain initiatives and other IT imperatives to his role at CitiusTech. He is the chairman of the board for Access to Care, a nonprofit that provides care to those without insurance – a role he has held for the past eight years. 

   

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