Connecting Your Healthcare IT Clients With Their Most Tech-Savvy Users

By Megan Williams, contributing writer

Connecting with patients is a top priority under MU Stage 3 and it’s likely that your clients are having issues effectively bridging the tech gap with the people they serve. A recent survey from Deloitte though may lend some invaluable insight in helping them reach their patient engagement goals.

Key Findings

• Consumers prefer to be engaged in their healthcare decisions: 34 percent believe that doctors should actively encourage patients to ask questions and research.
• Consumers trust information sources more these days: 52 percent of respondents said they’d searched online for care- or health-related information and use of patient portals, social, and performance score cards has been increasing.
• Consumers are even more engaged with tech when it comes to their health: Between 2013 and 2015, Technology used to measure fitness and health goals has jumped to 28 percent from 17 percent, with the highest use among millennials at 45 percent. Higher use was also found among users with chronic conditions, increasing from 22 percent to 39 percent. The majority of these users (60 percent) also indicated that their relationship with technology had a meaningful impact on their health-related behavior.
• Higher-income groups are more engaged: While engagement with technology is increasing across the board, users in higher income brackets appear to be more engaged than users in lower-income groups — a trend likely due to education, access, and awareness.

Benefits For Your Clients

While general engagement is a noble goal, and regulatory compliance is a strong incentive, any healthcare organization focused on long-term patient engagement will want to focus on other benefits. The survey detailed some of those benefits including

• lower healthcare costs
• a drop in smoking and obesity
• less delay in patients seeking care
• improved clinical indicators including less depression, lower cholesterol levels, decreased triglycerides
• better relationships with providers and more positive ratings
• less use of hospital and ED care, along with lower hospital readmission rates

The survey concludes with an overview of some of the implications for the industry, and predictions as to how technology will continue to impact the use of healthcare services:

“As the industry shifts toward value-based care models, and relationships among providers and payers become more integrated and collaborative, new opportunities may arise to develop innovative consumer engagement strategies that support a more seamless, streamlined, and personalized customer experience. Delivering a superior customer experience cost-effectively may be key to remaining competitive in an industry that is sharpening its focus on value.”