Healthcare leaders agree: Patient experience is paramount
The patient experience is the sum of all interactions a patient has with their healthcare ecosystem. It includes the structure and culture of the organization and how the patient perceives the network overall.
Changing reimbursement models, more complex customer illnesses, increasing demands with fewer workers, and the need for full transparency for and from patients are driving industry trends and healthcare change.
Prioritizing patient experience in today’s competitive landscape means focusing on what patients want and need.
Through a focused conversation with healthcare leaders, we reached an overwhelming consensus that adapting to evolving patient needs is accomplished by defining patient access and building brand loyalty. Leaders also agreed that what today’s patients want and the value that partnerships can bring are directly tied to the value proposition of the patient experience.
Within those themes, we identified four takeaways organizations can use to maximize their patient experience. These serve as a lens through which we must view how to change our approach to patient-centric design for the 21st century.
What today’s patient wants: Consumer Trust
Develop Trust via Human Connection
Trust is at the center of all our interactions when it comes to healthcare. Strengthening trust with patients starts with understanding the human element of these interactions. Creating an organizational emphasis on this lays the foundation for an excellent patient experience.
Simplify Patients’ Lives
A patient’s healthcare journey is only a small part of everything else going on in life. The burden of additional hurdles, ranging from finding care to filling prescriptions, only adds to life’s challenges. Patients are looking for a simplified experience and for organizations to put themselves in their shoes when trying to get care.
What value partners can bring: Thoughtful Collaboration
Simplify Partners’ Lives
A focus on improving access to care and the actual patient experience is one of the immediate challenges we face. Cross-industry collaboration is one way to address this. We can do more for our patients by collaborating and addressing challenges we see at each step of the patient journey.
Advocate for Data
Unlocking the potential of AI, data, and technology can help us address these challenges. While data and technology are solutions, integrating them into existing workflows is an obstacle. We must effectively manage the task of incorporating technology-based solutions while not making changes overly burdensome for clinicians.
Patient-centric design is the present.
The most disruptive force in the healthcare market today is the patient. Giving them value, making it easy, and making a real connection are no longer lofty ideals — they are table stakes.
Do you want to learn and hear more was we are hearing from our clients? Reach out to us — we’d love to discuss with you!
Meet the Authors
The Chicago Healthcare Thought Leadership Team. You can reach us at: chicagohealthcareteam@slalom.com
Slalom is a modern consulting firm focused on strategy, technology and business transformation. Our healthcare and life sciences industry teams partner with healthcare, biotech and pharmaceutical leaders to strengthen their organizations, improve their systems, and help with some of their most strategic business challenges. Find out more about our people, our company and what we do.
