Patient engagement is at the core of healthcare today. More than ever, hospitals and health systems are realizing the significance of reaching out to and interacting with patients.
A 2013 study analyzed the definition of “patient activation” — a phrase that refers to “the skills and confidence that equip patients to become actively engaged in their healthcare.” After investigating over 33,000 patients at Minneapolis-based Fairview Health Services, researchers found patients with lower activation rates had higher costs than those with higher activation rates. In fact, the costs for lower activation patients were 8 percent higher in the first year and 21 percent higher in the first half of the following year.
Renton, Wash.-based Providence Health & Services and one of its affiliated hospitals, Seattle-based Swedish Medical Center wanted to solve this problem. The organizations set out on a mission to find ways for patient engagement and access to lead to patient retention.
It all began approximately two years ago, when Providence President and CEO Rod Hochman, MD, made an integral comment. “He said, ‘Why are my friends and family calling me about getting into a clinic? Why aren’t we doing this as an organization?'” says Kim Nicholson, COO of clinical program services at Providence. “We made it too challenging to access services.”
So Swedish decided to take action. The first step was determining the initial touch point for the majority of patients. Despite the increase in digital technology, Ms. Nicholson says the phone is still the first touch point for many patients. To accommodate this need, Swedish began insourcing their customer call center.
“Doing so is making us a little less transactional and more relational with the patients,” says Ms. Nicholson. Employees in the call center work with those on Providence and Swedish’s digital services team. Prior to taking their first calls, the call center employees go through eight weeks of training during which they meet with providers and patients to better understand the culture of the organization. “That helps them modify their approach when patients are calling in,” Ms. Nicholson added.
The employees are then charged with the task of matching each patient with the right provider. To do so, the employees ask specific questions, including what the patient is looking for in a provider. Asking these questions helps narrow down the search and makes for a more positive experience for each patient.
Engaging and accessing patients at every level is a unique and growing problem in healthcare today. When patients experience problems, they look to hospitals as a guide and a source of information. “When they’re calling in, patients are vulnerable,” says Ms. Nicholson. “I think we need to make this a warm experience for them.” For Providence and Swedish, engaging first time patients proved to be a challenge, but one that could be confronted. “It really is the simple things that do matter in making changes to patient access,” says Ms. Nicholson.
