Tag: patient satisfaction

As patient expectations shift, providers that offer a personalized healthcare marketing experience will be more likely to attract and retain satisfied consumers. The pandemic accelerated this shift. As a result, the traditional ways of healthcare marketing are starting to fall short. For example: A healthcare marketing strategy that’s designed for an “average consumer” results in a one-size-fits-all model that doesn’t always meet a patient’s individual needs. Communication options with fixed hours and channels don’t reflect “patient first.” Outreach messages blasted to an entire patient email list miss the mark for individuals who don’t speak the language or might prefer a quick text message instead. A study by Dassault Systèmes and CITE Research found that 83% of consumers expect products and services to be personalized within moments or hours. They’re accustomed to the “one-click” digital retail experience, which offers instant access to relevant recommendations and flexibility about how and when to buy. They’re also suffering from information overload, thanks to the sheer volume of emails, messages, articles and videos flooding their digital devices. Personalized communications can remedy that and help consumers feel respected and empowered, which drives connection and loyalty. But personalization isn’t just important for patient outreach. Personalized healthcare marketing can also help ensure patients get the treatment they need, by anticipating individual needs and highlighting relevant services at the right time. With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to influence access to care, personalized healthcare communications can also be tailored for different patient segments. This can help reassure or remind individuals to book vaccination appointments or reschedule deferred care. Improve patient engagement with personalized outreach As digital offerings grow, consumer engagement expectations evolve. Providers must keep pace and communicate accordingly. Incorporating information about patients’ lifestyles, behaviors and preferences enables providers to deliver the right message at the right time. It also helps providers select and use the most effective channel of communication. Patients are more likely to respond and are empowered to manage their healthcare journey. For example, a Gen Z patient may prefer to receive appointment reminders by text, while an older patient may prefer a physical letter. One patient may prefer to get prescriptions mailed to their home while they’re at work, while another may be content to visit a pharmacy and pick up their medication while shopping nearby. Some patients will want a text message with a payment link to clear outstanding bills immediately, while others will appreciate a customized payment plan. Experian Health’s State of Patient Access survey 2.0 found that patients welcome proactive outreach by providers, though many say this doesn’t happen. Providers recognize the value in proactive patient engagement, but many say they lack the data to reach out effectively. With reliable consumer data and analytics, providers can create holistic profiles and deliver improved marketing to better serve new and existing patients. ConsumerViewSM pools data points on core demographics, behavioral insights, psychographic information and financial data to help providers understand their patients. This data can then be analyzed using Mosaic® USA and TrueTouchSM to segment, identify and reach the target audience with the most relevant message and format, and adapt based on consumer response. ConsumerView also adheres to consumer data privacy regulations, so providers can actively engage patients and build patient loyalty while confident in the knowledge that they have permission to use the data. Reduce readmissions and improve patient outcomes with better segmentation Personalized healthcare marketing isn’t just about messaging and channels. Providers that have a holistic picture of a patient’s lifestyle, life events, geographic changes and socio-economic challenges will be in a stronger position to anticipate their evolving wants and needs. For example, social determinants of health (SDOH) data can tell providers which patients may need extra assistance when visiting a doctor’s office, so that appropriate measures can be put in place. They might help identify patients with potential comorbidities that warrant proactive reminders about preventive check-ups. Similarly, providers can segment patients according to their financial situation. This can help with creating custom payment plans and sending timely payment reminders through targeted communications channels. Effective post-admission engagement can also help patients access the support needed to adhere to care plans, thus minimizing the risk of readmission and reducing unnecessary costs. A McKinsey & Co study found that around a third of patients with unplanned, high-cost follow-up care reported reasons that were considered avoidable, such as receiving unclear post-discharge instructions. Boost retention and recruitment with patient-centric and personalized healthcare marketing As rising medical costs and pandemic-related lifestyle shifts prompt more patients to shop around for care, providers must take action to create a healthcare experience that’s truly patient-centric. With data-driven healthcare marketing tools, providers can differentiate their services from other health systems vying for the same market. Find out how Experian Health can help your organization use consumer insights to build a patient-focused, personalized health marketing strategy to attract and retain satisfied consumers.

This is the first in a series of blog posts exploring how the patient journey has transformed as a result of COVID-19. This series will take you through the changes that impacted every step of the patient journey and provide strategic recommendations to move forward. In this post, we explore the role of healthcare marketing in acquiring and re-engaging patients as they return for care. Read the full white paper here. The healthcare industry’s overnight switch to digital-first operations put marketers and patient engagement teams at the heart of the new patient-provider relationship. From helping patients navigate online services and contactless care to providing timely information about COVID-19, proactive communications became a matter of life and death. Now, the challenge has shifted again. With a growing number of patients moving locations, changing jobs, and switching health plans, healthcare providers must strengthen their marketing outreach efforts to welcome new consumers and reconnect with existing ones. Finding new strategies to communicate effectively and pointing consumers to the right services at the right time will be key to financial recovery post-pandemic. Here, we look at four opportunities that healthcare marketers and patient outreach teams can incorporate into their post-pandemic playbook. Opportunity 1: Get your records straight before investing in new healthcare marketing strategies As patients’ circumstances changed, many found their health records were out of date. Addresses were incorrect. Insurance records were incomplete. Some individuals accidentally set up duplicate accounts when registering for online services. For providers, this amplified a challenge that existed long before the pandemic – finding ways to ensure accurate patient identities. A recent survey by Experian Health found that patients welcome proactive outreach by providers, though many say their providers fail to do this. Nearly half of providers say they want to, but inaccurate or incomplete patient data gets in the way. Investing in marketing and outreach strategies is money down the drain unless providers can verify that the information they have for each patient is reliable. An identity management tool such as can confirm names, addresses and other demographic details of existing patients and those who have recently moved to the area – to correctly match their information at every digital and in-person touchpoint. Opportunity 2: Build personalized patient outreach strategies based on consumer insights Next, providers can enrich patient identities with originally sourced consumer data for a comprehensive picture of who their patients are. When providers can confirm who their patients are, what they need, how they spend their time and money, and how they like to communicate, they can build personalized outreach strategies to improve patient acquisition and retention. For example, providers have new opportunities to offer telehealth access for patients in their preferred language. Experian offers 196 language codes that can be applied based on individual patient profiles, so you can connect patients to the right physician. For patients who are new to the area, communication that reflects their lifestyles, preferred channels, and personal interests will help maintain loyalty and provide better customer experiences. The aftermath of the shift to online and digital healthcare tools has been polarizing, with some patients feeling hesitant to engage with unfamiliar tools. Others expect a more sophisticated digital experience that matches their interactions in retail and entertainment. Knowing which camp patients identify with will help your patient outreach team discern which tools and guidance to offer to which patients. With ConsumerView, you can differentiate your services from other health systems vying for the same consumers, and offer a tailored engagement experience. Opportunity 3: Reduce readmission risk with data on social determinants of health Knowing whether your new and existing patients are affected by social determinants of health (SDOH) can also help tailor outreach communications. This can help them overcome access challenges and reduce the risk of readmission. Understanding if patients are at risk of missing appointments or struggling to follow a care plan because of food insecurity, isolation, lack of transportation, cultural exclusion, or financial limitations, can help providers point them to relevant community programs and financial support. By understanding patient barriers, providers will be able to communicate more effectively with their patients. For example, a conversation with someone who is experiencing unexpected, short-term financial difficulties as a result of losing their job in the pandemic would be much different than a conversation with someone who has been unemployed and low-income for many years. Opportunity 4: Reschedule deferred care by marketing online scheduling platforms Seven in ten patients deferred or canceled treatment during the pandemic. Providers must figure out where those patients are and what their (potentially more serious) healthcare needs may be. Re-engaging and rebuilding relationships with these patients is critical to encourage them to come back for care. Marketing teams play a major role in raising the visibility of non-coronavirus health issues and the need to reschedule care and return to a pre-pandemic healthcare routine. Third-party data can fill in the gaps in patient identities, so providers can identify specific needs and worries, determine the best contact information for each patient, and re-engage effectively. Online scheduling platforms will be especially important. These platforms can help patients reschedule appointments at their convenience, connect them to telehealth services, and overcome some of the practical barriers to care. Find out how Experian Health can help your organization access new sources of data and see how your patient community has changed since March 2020, down to the individual level. By combining identity management software with accurate consumer insights, your marketing and outreach teams will be armed with everything they need to attract and retain satisfied consumers. Download our white paper to see how other steps of the patient journey have evolved since the onset of COVID-19.

Will handshakes become a thing of the past? Will face masks become a regular feature of flu season? Will home-working remain popular, even after workplaces re-open? COVID-19 forced some abrupt behavior changes that challenged existing cultural norms, but as the pandemic subsides, how many of these adaptations will survive?   For healthcare executives, the return to on-site medical visits raises similar questions. Healthcare consumers were already expressing an appetite for more convenience and control, and the pandemic accelerated the use of digital solutions for everything from patient access to telehealth. Being able to book appointments, complete pre-registration forms and make payments online is the new baseline.   As patient volumes start to increase, hospitals and physician groups shouldn’t take their foot off the gas with digitalization, particularly in patient intake, which doesn’t have to involve in-person contact. There’s an opportunity now to learn from what’s worked well over the last year and cement the pandemic’s digital legacy.   What does the new normal look like in patient intake? Getting back to basics with convenience and compassion Once crisis mode has passed, providers can refocus their efforts on the building blocks of an optimal health service: high quality care and a convenient and compassionate patient experience. After the uncertainty and loss of control over the last year, patients want autonomy and choice. Initiating a smooth patient journey through online pre-registration, patient portals, virtual waiting rooms and digital scheduling can contribute to this.   Many will be happy to say goodbye to piles of paper forms and long waits in the waiting room. But any digital strategy must also support those with limited access to devices and broadband or limited digital literacy. Liz Serie, Director of Product Management at Experian Health, says:   “The goal is to give patients the same exceptional experience and care, regardless of when or how they complete patient intake. Using the same tools that we know our patients are already comfortable with will help to ensure an inclusive approach.”   Digital technology can support a multichannel approach, for example, using automated dialers to make phone calls where mobile apps aren’t an option, or using patient data to segment individuals according to contact preferences. Re-engaging hesitant patients The CDC reported in September 2020 that around 40% of adults delayed care due to the pandemic. While more recent data suggests fewer patients are deferring care, some experts worry that patient volumes won’t return to normal until 2022. How can providers ease the return to care?   Online health portals were helpful in keeping people out of facilities during the pandemic – can they now serve a different purpose in reminding patients to come in for check-ups?   Patients will need clear information about what protocols to follow during patient intake and what to expect from virtual waiting rooms, as well as reassurance that the experience will be safe. Streamlining patient access with accurate data Unlocking the digital front door made logistical sense during the pandemic. It’s even more critical as patient volumes drive back up. Providers will want to review their protocols to be sure that speedy implementation has not left that door open to costly data errors. Is the right information being collected at the right time?   Consumers are looking for flexible and accurate appointment slots for self-scheduling, and they want their financial ducks in a row as soon as possible with quick authorizations and coverage checks. Getting data right first time makes for a smoother patient experience, more efficient staff workflows and fewer claim denials down the line. Preparing for an uncertain future Looking ahead, patient intake protocols will need to be flexible enough to adapt to changing patient needs, particularly if there are further waves of the pandemic. Digital solutions can help providers prepare for the unexpected and shift from a reactive response in a crisis to a proactive step towards the future.   For many providers, future-proofing the patient intake experience is also an important remedy to the financial losses suffered during the pandemic. Digital solutions built on accurate data, consumer needs, accessible information can protect against further revenue loss by giving patients reliable ways to access and pay for care, no matter what the future holds.   Medicine is built on in-person care, but we don’t need to be face-to-face to fill out forms. Patient intake is one area where “the old way” doesn’t have to return. Find out more about how your organization can build on the pandemic’s digital legacy and create a leading patient intake experience.

The age of consumerism has been a catalyst in the shift towards patient-centered care, driving hospitals and health systems across the board to evaluate and improve their current methods of patient access. For one multi-specialty medical group, fast and easy access to care meant providing strategic tools for patients to use beyond the four walls of the organization and outside of the traditional hours of the practice. In order to provide a more flexible and convenient method to access care, CareMount Medical, the largest independent multi-specialty group in New York State, turned to Experian Health to enable online self-scheduling. With it in place, patients now have the ability to schedule an appointment online, across any specialty, any time of day or night. Providers’ scheduling protocols are automated within the solution to accurately match patients with the right provider and appointment based on care need. Those same protocols are also used to prevent overbooking, allowing providers to maintain close and comfortable control over their calendars. Improved call center efficiencies. Automated scheduling relieves call center staff of the associated administrative work, allowing more time for nurses and other credentialed staff to answer health questions and concerns over the phone. Increased patient acquisition and retention. In addition to attracting new patients, the solution has proven valuable for patient retention. Since implementation, the organization has seen on average 30 online appointment bookings per provider per month. Higher patient satisfaction. Patients are no longer required to call to schedule an appointment during office hours. This level of convenience gives patients more control over their day and has contributed to rising patient satisfaction scores for the organization as a whole. Continued Improvements. Real-time analytics and dashboards provide direct line-of-sight into scheduling activity, helping leaders at CareMount Medical to both identify areas for improvement and fine-tune the process to further improve online bookings. "Experian Health’s guided search and scheduling solution adds immediate benefits for our patients, supporting our commitment to provide our patients with cutting-edge technology in the convenience of their home." — Scott D. Hayworth, MD, FACOG, President & CEO, CareMount Medical Learn more about CareMount Medical's journey and how your organization can also improve patient access with patient scheduling from Experian Health.

Medical expenses are often a source of anxiety for many patients, whether they are unsure about the amount owed or how they’ll ultimately pay for it. Unfortunately, intimidating collections processes don’t help, and a crisis like COVID-19 only exacerbates this stress. A more compassionate billing approach could help patients better navigate their financial obligations and also build long-term loyalty—a necessity for providers today looking to retain patient volume during a time of crisis. Consumers overwhelmingly want to understand the cost of healthcare services, prior to services being performed. Effective price transparency involves offering patients clear, accessible, and easy-to-understand estimates of their financial responsibility for services before they are performed. Give patients clarity from the start with precise pricing estimates and up-front info about what they’ll have to pay can reduce sticker shock, help them plan and create an overall better patient financial experience. By empowering your patients with financial expectations, their feeling of control increases, improving their engagement and the likelihood that you will collect payments faster and more efficiently. Just as you don’t provide identical medical treatment to every patient, processing all patient accounts the same way doesn’t make sense. Every patient is different. Using comprehensive data and advanced analytics, providers can better understand an individual's propensity to pay and make the payment process a positive one by assessing and assigning each patient to the appropriate financial pathway based on their unique financial situation. Medical bills are often the most direct contact providers have with patients after a service is rendered. Unfortunately, money is often a sensitive topic for patients and statements are often overwhelming and difficult for patients to read. Tailoring communications at each stage can convey compassion and increase patient satisfaction. Customizing patient statements gives providers the ability to simplify and customize bills quickly and easily, turning an often confusing process into one that adds value. Including relevant, personalized messages and educational updates can turn billing statements into a useful resource, all with the potential to drive revenue. In addition to offering personalized payment options, providers can also find out whether a patient prefers to discuss billing by phone or email. Minimizing friction at the point of payment is crucial to fostering compassionate collections. Providers should offer flexible options that include in-person, telephone, mobile and online patient portals, so they can pay in a way that’s most convenient for them. This also frees up staff to help those patients who may need a little extra help understanding their statement. Want to learn more? Check out Experian Health’s Collections Optimization Manager which helps providers segment patients based on an individual’s propensity to pay and payment preferences, informing a compassionate patient engagement strategy and improving collections.

The term “digital front door” is one of the biggest buzz words in healthcare, and thanks to COVID-19, we can expect to see it even more. Already, according to an Accenture survey, 77 percent of patients believe the ability to book, cancel, or change an appointment online is important. Now, with social distancing and stay at home orders in place, offering digital tools for engagement is more important than ever. But what exactly makes a strong “digital front door” and what does it take to create one? What precisely does a digital strategy need in order to better engage and retain patients? There are a lot of thoughts about what the digital front door looks like, from pricing transparency to ratings and reviews, reputation management, patient registration, and more. We know patients today are seeking greater transparency from their entire healthcare experience. Yet each of the qualities above reflect more of a digital billboard than an actual front door. After all, the front door needs to be a pathway to see a physician or access care; it must actually “open.” A true digital front door will do the following: Enable omni-channel access. Improving access begins with offering more channels for patients to find the care they need – a necessity today in the midst of COVID-19. Digital scheduling drives patient access, plain and simple, whether it be through call centers, automated outreach, or online self-scheduling. Omni-channel access not only opens the door for patients experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, giving them a fast and easy way to connect with a provider, but will be key for the post-COVID world when patients begin to reschedule those appointments that have been cancelled or deferred. Engage patients. Patients want convenience when it comes to accessing care. Now, more than ever, patients look online for information and expect to find what they need easily and quickly. Making service information available online, such as COVID testing, is an obvious first step. Allowing consumers to simply and efficiently book the care they need online will lead to increased engagement, as well. Improve productivity. More than half of all patients prefer to schedule outside of business hours. Digital scheduling can enable that, increasing appointments while improving provider workflow, freeing up staff to focus on other activities. This will prove critical as providers brace for an influx of patients seeking to reschedule appointments that have since been cancelled or deferred due to COVID-19. Additionally, automated reminders help improve patient show rates while data-driven practices help refine scheduling logistics.  Increase revenue. Providing better, more efficient access, increases the number of patients coming into a practice – which means more revenue. And today, as a result of heroic efforts to serve communities impacted by COVID-19, providers are more strapped for revenue than ever before. With access to digital and mobile solutions, providers can attack revenue loss from two sides –attracting new patients and retaining current ones. Drive higher patient satisfaction. Faster, easier access to healthcare equals better satisfaction with the process of accessing healthcare, with the provider organization, and with the provider. And, if you really want a crowd pleaser that can also generate revenue, automated business rules and scheduling protocols are a must have.It’s the combination of convenience and effectiveness that keeps them coming back for future care needs – coming back, of course, through the digital front door. Learn more about how Patient Scheduling can help to unlock your organization’s digital front door.

Imagine being able to offer your patients a financial experience that doesn’t stress them out. That makes patient billing quick and simple. That knocks off a few minutes from each patient registration. And that even boosts your revenue. These are just some of the benefits attendees at last week’s Cerner Health Conference were considering as they discussed opportunities for faster innovation, smarter working and transformation in the future of healthcare technology. When it comes to working smarter, attendees seemed to agree that one aspect of the healthcare experience comes out top for providers and patients alike: the cost of care. This is especially true because patients are increasingly responsible for paying their healthcare costs. And since the way services are reimbursed is constantly changing, patients are often left in the dark about how much they’ll have to pay, or how they’ll be able to afford it. Patients are struggling under the weight of financial burden We know this can have serious implications for their physical, emotional and financial health. A recent survey by the Nationwide Retirement Institute showed that as many as one in three patients aged 25-45 are delaying medical care because they’re worried about the cost, instead keeping their fingers crossed and hoping that the issue will disappear by itself. A third shop around for better prescription prices, with many not taking their meds as often as instructed in order to save money. More than half of patients wouldn’t be able to afford an unexpected bill over $1000, while a staggering 530,000 families are bankrupted by medical costs every year. Healthcare providers often end up bearing the burden of uncompensated care, or waste valuable time and resources working to uncover missing or undisclosed coverage. Either way, all this wrangling for payment has a major impact on the organization’s bottom line as well as the patient financial experience. To tackle some of these challenges, we’ve teamed up with Cerner® to support healthcare organizations to provide more compassionate and convenient billing practices. At last week’s conference, we launched the Cerner Consumer Financial Engagement suite, a newly embedded experience within Cerner’s Consumer Framework that will optimize the billing process for both patients and providers, powered by Experian® data. 3 ways the Cerner Consumer Financial Engagement suite can optimize your patient collections One of the biggest pain points for patients when it comes to managing their healthcare bills online is needing to switch between different systems for different administrative tasks. This new partnership will let patients who use the Cerner Consumer Framework access and manage all aspects of their online healthcare account in one place, creating a more convenient financial experience. The new tool will help providers improve patient collections in three ways: Smarter patient engagement When you have insights into your patients’ financial circumstances and propensity to pay, you can make more informed decisions about how to approach collections and get them on the right program from the start. Using Experian’s industry-leading datasets, providers will be able to use the Consumer Financial Engagement suite to spot patients who may benefit from alternative payment plans or financial assistance and make personalized offers that are compassionate and relevant. Giving patients a one-stop-shop for managing bills Patients are coming to expect a better experience – similar to what they might see in online retail and financial services. When it’s easy for them to settle their bills, they’re more likely to conclude their healthcare journey on a positive note and feel reassured about sticking with your organization the next time they need care. With an all-in-one patient dashboard showing current billing information, insurance deductible status, transparent cost estimates and tools to activate pay plans or financial assistance, the Cerner Consumer Framework creates a frictionless and transparent billing experience, leading to fewer late or unpaid bills and more satisfied patients. Simple and efficient collections When it comes to payments, proactive communication can help ward off some of the sticker shock that comes with unanticipated treatments and bills. The new financial engagement tool uses a simple interface that makes medical billing clear and quick for patients. When consumers aren’t put-off by the technology, they’ll be more likely to act promptly to get billing out of the way. In addition, providers will be able to add their own branding, so the patient experience is consistent from start to finish. Creating a positive patient financial experience powered by reliable data In today’s climate of increasing costs, big data and healthcare consumerism, data and analytics are now the driving force behind an efficient revenue cycle. Person-centered healthcare services that prioritize quality and patient outcomes should be a given, but the financial experience is an integral part of the total equation. This is especially true when we consider that the three biggest pain points for consumers during their healthcare journey are all related to payments! Learn more about how data-driven technology, such as the new Cerner Consumer Financial Engagement suite, can help you offer patients a better financial experience and optimize revenue at the same time.

  I attended the Fall 2019 Conference of the National Association of Accountable Care Organizations (NAACOS) in Washington D.C. and wanted to share some insights on how top-performing Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) are using data to drive improved quality and cost of care. Over the last decade, we’ve seen the number of ACOs surge. Propelled by the shift from volume- to value-based care, over a thousand ACOs operate across the U.S., bringing together groups of physicians, hospitals and other providers with a collective ambition to enhance quality of care, reduce healthcare costs and improve patient outcomes. While some ACOs participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program have succeeded in improving quality and realizing some savings for the program, the value-based model is still evolving, and results can be mixed. More dramatic and holistic moves will have to be made to convert today’s annual incremental savings of 1 to 2% to make a dent in the estimated annual waste of nearly $389 billion in administrative complexity and another $45 billion due to lack of coordinated care. So what separates the top performers from the rest? At NAACOS last week, speakers confirmed that the most successful ACOs are those that effectively shift care towards primary care physicians (PCPs) and away from acute settings and skilled nursing facilities, implement a process for continuous improvement and adopt a performance-first culture. This is easier said than done. Here’s my top recommendations to help ACOs leverage data-driven insights to lower costs while improving patient outcomes. Offering insights into member utilization of healthcare resources in real-time I recently worked with a client that needed real-time alerts of member activity including admissions, discharges, and Emergency Room (ER) visits. These insights enabled this client to proactively manage active member episodes of care, optimizing the setting and deliver of care for the member’s specific needs. For example, a member was frequently visiting the ER with complications from his Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) condition that the client’s care team was managing. This was a needlessly costly way to treat the symptoms. To help get their members the right care at the right time, this client started leveraging automated alerts for their members as they presented within the healthcare continuum. The next time this patient sought treatment in an out-of-network ER for their COPD, their primary care physician (PCP) received an alert about her patient as soon as they registered, before a doctor had even seen him, and certainly before an ER workup converted to an admission. The PCP called the attending ER doctor to share the patient’s history and ensured the ER physician that this patient would receive next-day follow-up care in the PCP’s office. Knowing that follow-up was in place and the patient wasn’t in immediate need of care, the ER physician discharged the patient home. Given that the average cost of an admission can run $22,000, and an outpatient visit less than $500, the savings delivered by this kind of care coordination becomes significant. More importantly, the member experience is much improved in that they get to go home instead of an unnecessary overnight stay in the hospital. And this is just one example—multiply this kind of episode management across all member encounters and consider the improved member quality of life across all attributed lives and the savings for the health plan or ACO in the aggregate. Real-time alerts provide a win-win for both patient and ACO by affording care teams the opportunity to optimize the setting of care for quality and cost. Care coordination for episode management To improve episode outcomes and reduce readmissions, visibility into the compliance of a patient’s post-discharge care plan through the duration of the entire episode is critical, so well-coordinated care requires that clinical context be shared between providers. A frequent barrier to this flow of useful data is that clinicians’ electronic health records (EHRs) aren’t always interoperable. To solve for this, some ACOs are attempting to move all their providers to a single EHR and care management module. However, for some this may not be an option. In these cases, ACOs can opt for Care Coordination Manager: a rules-driven, closed-loop messaging and distributed workflow orchestration platform that enables health plans, ACOs, allied health, and community partners to share and assign care plan requests across a diverse provider community. Care Coordination Manager is vendor-agnostic and able to populate EHRs and care management modules at the point of care with key clinical context. This flow of tasks and content supports high-quality coordination of care and management through transitions of care. Proactively address non-clinical barriers to health for improved patient engagement and health Another characteristic of top-performing ACOs is that they utilize a 360-degree view of their members to address potential barriers that prevent members from engaging in their own healthcare. These SDOH factors can include things like housing or financial instability, food insecurity, limited access to transportation or healthy food options, and other non-clinical factors. Only about 20% of costly health episodes are due to medical factors, so it’s vital for ACOs to incorporate a more comprehensive and actionable understanding of the social needs of the populations they serve. For example, medication adherence is a bigger challenge for a patient who may have difficulty getting to a pharmacy or understanding medication instructions. Identifying and mitigating these risks up front gives the patient a better chance of adhering to their prescribed regimen, which in turn gives them a better chance to stay healthy, ultimately lessening the disease burden and thus the cost of the ACO’s membership while improving the patient’s quality of life. ACOs can take a proactive, preventative approach to addressing these challenges by collecting and analyzing member data and using these insights to tailor interventions. Patient-supplied information through surveys, like PRAPARE, is a good starting point, but surveys can be limited by access to the patient as well as the patient’s ability or willingness to answer honestly. Additionally, unless mapped to structured data such as ICD-10 Z codes, survey data is challenging to scale for broader insights into the ACO’s membership. Instead, consider healthcare consumer data that’s sourced directly from a reliable vendor. Analysis of this demographic, psychographic and behavioral data allows you to flag patients based on need, so you can identify the best way to communicate with members to help them own their healthcare journey. For example, in a recent report by the Department of Health and Human Services’ (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG), one ACO described how asking patients with chronic conditions to make a daily call to a care coordinator led to 43% fewer emergency room visits and 47% fewer readmissions. As ACOs grow amidst pressures to take on downside risk and manage costs while improving quality—timely data collection, sharing, analysis and action will continue to provide the foundation of high-quality episode and population health management; along with engaging members and community partners in the healthcare journey. What’s clear from discussions at the NAACOS conference last week is that the opportunity exists to work smarter across many emerging payment models. Could data be the key to unlocking that opportunity? McLain Causey is Director of Product Management at Experian Health.

They don’t make medical diagnoses. They would never prescribe clinical treatment. They may not ever be in the same room as your patients. Still, your healthcare organization’s marketing team are on the frontline when it comes to improving patient outcomes. The rise of healthcare consumerism means patients have come to expect the same frictionless experience they often receive in retail and financial services. For healthcare providers who want to deliver an outstanding patient experience, this means using data and insights about patients’ lifestyles, behaviors and preferences to personalize the content, timing and frequency of your communications. By connecting patients to the right information at the right time, consumer-driven marketing strategies lift engagement and help patients access care, in turn driving improvements in patient outcomes. The benefits of a consumer-focused marketing strategy According to Gartner’s 2017 Customer Experience in Marketing Survey, 67% of companies said they compete on the basis of customer experience. This goes to show the growing importance of understanding customer interactions and how those can result in greater customer satisfaction, loyalty and advocacy. Healthcare providers can learn from brands in other fields that are already using data-driven marketing to create a better consumer experience and drive business growth. For example: Amazon makes it easy for customers to purchase additional items, with the use of ‘one-click’ buy buttons and helpful recommendations based on previous buying behavior Walmart Online reminds you when you’ve forgotten to add one of your usual household staples to your cart Twitter suggests news articles that may be of interest, based on what you’ve liked and shared before Google knows you’re more likely to respond to a nudge to sign up for Google Pay when you already have a Google account, because you’re already part of their digital ecosystem These brands use consumer insights to tailor content at every opportunity. They segment audiences based on lifestyle and behavioral data, so specific consumers only see the most relevant messages. In the same way, a consumer-focused healthcare marketing strategy can help providers attract new customers, provide timely and relevant information to current members, and boost brand loyalty. How to use consumer data to give patients the right content at the right time Whether you want to reach a busy parent seeking the best pediatric care for their child, or an elderly patient looking for advice on how to stay active—data and analytics can help you identify the consumers your health system wants to attract AND give them the most useful content as they move through your system as consumers. It’ll tell you whether a text message as they leave work at 6 pm would be most likely to garner a quick response, or whether a weekend email guiding them to their patient portal would be a better way to help them make informed decisions about their care. The essential ingredient here is reliable consumer data. Data that’s outdated, lacking key customer attributes or of questionable integrity is going to be unhelpful as a marketing tool. You must also maintain compliance with consumer privacy best practice. But when you’re armed with the highest quality lifestyle, demographic, psychographic and behavioral data, you can start to understand what the patient is thinking, feeling and doing at each point in their patient journey. What does daily life look like for your consumers? How much can they afford? Would they be likely to compare prices and shop around for services, or would they prioritize ease of use or quality? Do they prefer to handle ‘life admin’ on a mobile device or by phone? What time of day will they be most receptive to information from a service provider? When you know what information will be most helpful to your patients, you can create relevant content and segment your marketing campaign to deliver the right information, at the right time, in the right format. Once you’ve done that, analytics can also allow you to monitor and track the response to this tailored content, to evaluate and refine the strategies that are working best. Working with a data partner to leverage consumer insights Leveraging consumer insights is somewhat uncharted territory for many healthcare providers, but you don’t have to go it alone. Partnering with a reliable third-party vendor can help you navigate the world of data security and compliance and become nimbler in your communications with patients. Karly Rowe, Vice President of New Product Development, Identity and Care Management Products at Experian Health explains: “Understanding how the right data can transform your patient experience will continue to grow in importance for healthcare providers who want to make a successful play for market share. As the sheer volume of healthcare data grows at an astronomical rate, it’s essential to know how to draw out the most useful insights. You need to know where to source the highest quality data and how to deploy it effectively within your organization to drive proactive engagement with patients.” For organizations looking to improve patient retention and engagement, Experian Health offers access to datasets encompassing the most comprehensive resources for building strong relationships with your customers. By showing your patients you understand their health aspirations and offering the personalized experience they’re seeking, they’re more likely to continue logging in to their portals, showing up for appointments, and engaging with the services they really need to improve their health.