Healthcare is more challenging than ever, as empowered consumers seek out the best experience. They want a modern way of interacting across different communications channels. No-code tools enable healthcare providers to optimize the patient journey and address key pain points, such as insurance verification and patient registration.
During a March webinar hosted by Becker's Hospital Review and sponsored by Formstack, healthcare experts explained how providers are using tools to streamline processes and optimize the patient experience. The panelists were:
- Milissa Holland, director of healthcare, Coastal Cloud
- Zak Pines, VP of partnerships, Formstack
Five key takeaways were:
1. Healthcare providers face constantly changing expectations and a highly competitive environment. Healthcare consumers' expectations are "exceedingly high," Mr. Pines said, as consumers seek experiences comparable to retail or travel. Patients want personalized touch points across multiple channels along their journey. However, many providers are not meeting consumers' expectations.
These shifting expectations arise against a backdrop of declining patient loyalty and challenges in patient retention. "Healthcare is becoming such a competitive environment," Ms. Holland said, "and patients are going where the experiences are best."
2. No-code tools offer health systems a powerful, flexible option to improve the patient journey. A no-code product means "more of the healthcare organization is enabled to create great patient experiences," Mr. Pines said. Organizations can build customizable forms, automate document generation or automate digital signatures. "The no-code aspect means the organization can have more agility" and determine their needs, customize their offerings, and track their priorities, according to Mr. Pines. The array of capabilities allows the organization to identify the biggest pain points to address, such as insurance verification. Removing that administrative burden is a success to build upon
3. Forms are the foundation for improving the experience for patients. Streamlining forms is foundational to improving the patient experience. "It's starting a conversation," Ms. Holland said. "It's a small step, but it's a huge step to that organization when they see the value."
Across the patient journey, Formstack enables a secure link to a form with pre-filled data, so the patient has to only review and update their information instead of repeatedly entering it on paper. This reduced complexity "allows a single source of truth and an entry point to that patient," Ms. Holland said.
4. Health systems and patients welcome streamlined patient registration. A simplified patient registration tool enabled across channels leverages data. Patients particularly appreciate SMS communications. Using conditional logic enhances the personalization, so fields appear based on the information provided, all built quickly and easily with the no-code Form Builder.
Formstack allows the data to be published to systems across the enterprise, compliant with HIPAA, using a centralized patient database, reducing duplication for the provider and vastly improving the patient experience.
5. Health systems are eliminating paper-based processes, benefiting both consumers and providers. Removing paper from healthcare processes is becoming standard, as in other aspects of life. When digitizing, providers experience reduced burdens and improved efficiency. Call centers eliminate thousands of faxes from physicians through digitization. The trend to home-based care is fueled by entering real-time patient information on a mobile device.
"Imagine if we were to automate every amount of paper that works its way through a healthcare system ... what that would do and transform, from the external perspective, the journey, the experience," Ms. Holland said. "The ROI this hospital system would see is incredible."
As healthcare consumers increasingly look for digital engagement with providers, no-code tools provide robust and secure options.
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