Breaking down silos in health care for a more connected patient experience

On December 14, 2021

Integrated care has been an on-again, off-again proposition for decades with varying degrees of success. The Affordable Care Act put an incentive structure in-place to move the industry forward by focusing reimbursements on quality and patient outcomes. Despite this, 62% of consumers surveyed said the healthcare system feels like it's designed to be confusing.1 

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Healthcare Providers, Patient Experience, Patient Acquisition, Patient Loyalty, Healthcare Marketing

Integrating patient education and care plans in clinical workflows at the point of care

On November 24, 2021

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Patient Engagement, Patient Education, Healthcare Providers, Clinical Workflow, Patient Experience, Patient Loyalty, Care Journey

Consumerism and the importance of brand in the patient journey

On September 15, 2021

The current health care industry operates increasingly like a retail market, shaped by growing consumerism. Health systems that have historically told patients where to go and whom to see for care—with patients following their orders—are realizing that today’s patient has much more power in defining the care experience.

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Patient Engagement, Technology, Telehealth, Patient Loyalty, Healthcare Marketing

Strategies to reduce out-of-network physician referrals

On June 3, 2021

COVID-19 has made the expensive problem of out-of-network physician referrals even greater. In fact, at the peak of the pandemic, utilization of specialty services dropped by 70% among many major specialties, including cardiology and pediatrics.1 A recent white paper on the rising risk of out-of-network referrals takes a deep dive into why referral leakage occurs and how it can be managed.

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Patient Engagement, Healthcare Providers, Payer/Health Plans, Patient Experience, Patient Loyalty, Care Journey

HIT: An overlooked key to improving CAHPS survey scores and HCAHPS star ratings

On May 13, 2021

Health care quality organizations are hopeful that the new presidential administration will support much-needed advancements in the health care quality arena. In a blog post directed toward the incoming administration, the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) made known its four main objectives for the future of health care quality: enabling a digital quality system, urgently advancing health equity, measuring patient experience digitally, and strengthening Medicare value-based...

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Healthcare Providers, Clinical Workflow, Patient Experience, Telemedicine, Patient Loyalty, Readmissions, Care Journey

Infographic: Power up your patient portal

On March 1, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic changed the way we do a lot of things. Virtual tools—like patient portals—are more important than ever, but how do you maximize your patient portal and get patients and clinicians to engage with it? View this infographic for tips to get the most out of your patient portal, and build patient loyalty and clinician adoption.

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Patient Engagement, Health Engagement, Healthcare Providers, Patient Experience, Patient Loyalty, Care Journey

Quiet in the Hospital: Improving Patient Satisfaction and Outcomes

On February 27, 2015

Hospitals can be noisy places. From overhead paging to middle of the night vitals checks, for many patients a hospital can be a place of great unrest. hospital_quietAnd research tells us that not only does hospital noise disturb a patient’s sleep and increase anxiety, but it can also cause blood pressure spikes and interfere with pain management. Noise has become so much of an issue, in fact, that patients are now asked on the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems...

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Healthcare Providers, Patient Experience, Patient Loyalty, Care Management

IDEAL Discharge Planning: Smooth Patient Transitions From Hospital to Home

On February 6, 2015

Are you familiar with IDEAL Discharge Planning? The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has created a discharge planning toolkit designed to engage patients and their caregivers and prevent communication gaps between patients and healthcare providers. The program is one part of a holistic evidence-based initiative to place the patient at the center of care, entitled a Guide to Patient and Family Engagement in Hospital Quality and Safety.

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Healthcare Providers, Patient Experience, Patient Loyalty, Care Management

A Hospital Readmission Reduction Program That Works: Project RED

On October 24, 2014

Is your hospital trying to improve its 30-day readmissions rate? Deconstructing your discharge plan may be the answer. Consider Project RED (Re-Engineered Discharge), piloted by Boston University Medical Center and funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). The program has already helped nearly 300 U.S. hospitals improve their discharge processes, resulting in significant readmission reductions at many sites.

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Healthcare Providers, Patient Experience, Patient Loyalty, Care Management