Patient engagement: It’s the buzzword that’s taken healthcare by storm. Browse any medical website and you’re sure to find the pros and cons of engaging patients in various settings and at various stages in the patient experience. But for healthcare marketers, patient engagement is the name of the game, and failure to connect with patients can spell trouble for an organization.
A New Era
“From a national perspective, we’re seeing a misalignment across leadership teams and bedside caregivers in understanding that every touch point impacts a patient experience,” said Debbie Landers, senior vice president for Nashville ‘s Jarrard Phillips Cate & Hancock. “It’s not a purely clinical initiative.”
Today’s hospital marketing goes far beyond the public relations suite, into the elevators, hallways and cafeterias of medical centers. It’s a reality that PR directors have long understood, while administrators are now beginning to realize the underlying cost of employing that grouchy billing clerk or snippy parking attendant feared by patients and staff alike.
“From transportation to registration, there’s a whole internal culture of communication in an organization, and we’re seeing that idea pushed much more than even a year ago,” Landers said. That’s due to an increase in both healthcare options and deductibles, and dissatisfied patients or those feeling the financial pinch can easily go elsewhere. Hospitals must work harder to ensure patient experiences are caring and compassionate, which means every patient experience counts.
“The ‘consumer paradigm’ isn’t the norm for hospitals,” Landers said. “The old model was ‘the hospital’s here, and the doctor tells you to go.’ Today’s patient may not have a primary care doctor and may go to walk-in clinics or get advice online. That’s changing healthcare, and organizations are having to work harder to ensure every experience is more caring and compassionate.”
Patient engagement requires consistent training for every individual in the organization. Landers said she’s seeing hospitals that had previously dropped the ball now holding staff accountable for patient experiences, thanks in part to standardized surveys like HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems). The publicly reported system can help bring bigger issues to light and now is also a factor in determining reimbursement.
Ratings Systems
While efforts like HCAHPS can impact a system for better or for worst, providers and marketers might wonder how significant online rating systems are – the publicly available “rate your provider” sites that often serve as a sounding board for disgruntled patients … and don’t forget the social media rants about negative patient experiences.
Nicole Cottrill, business development partner at DVL Seigenthaler, said those forums don’t typically hold much weight. “Do healthcare leaders read those? Yes. Do they necessarily work to engage in those forums? No,” Cottrill said. “One thing you’ll always work against is that people feel impassioned about complaining but not as impassioned about complimenting.”
Changing that balance is a challenge, and there are multiple barriers at play. Patients now document their experiences in real time, and the reality that hospitals work with patients 24/7 means someone, somewhere, might be unhappy. They’re also fighting history. “Many times there’s some awful patient story on a forum, but they don’t mention it’s from 1972,” Cottrill said. “People have long memories.”
Shifting to a more positive experience requires engaging patients more on the front end. “Check in on that patient and their family throughout the process of care – from admissions to discharge and beyond,” Cottrill said. “You don’t want surprises to come up on forums when you can deal with those in real time. Make them a part of the process, and they’re likely to have positive comments.”
The Value of “I’m Sorry”
Your mom was right … a simple apology can go far. In the past, providers believed acknowledging a mistake would land them in a lawsuit. Now there’s a change in that mindset, and providers are learning problems can be quickly diffused with an apology.
To that end, some U.S. hospitals are implementing communications and resolution programs to keep medical mistakes and misunderstandings from becoming more costly. Risk management officials assist patients with real-time problem solving to avoid potentially litigious situations. Hospital staff members also are trained to report problems as soon as they become aware of them, without fear of punishment.
A New World for Marketers
For many medical centers, marketing and strategic planning work hand-in-hand to head up patient engagement. Outside resources also can help realign the organization from the top down and apply organization-wide goals with a consumer focus.
“Improving the patient experience requires a mindset change for everyone,” Cottrill said. “Real-time conversations throughout the patient experience will reap the greatest rewards and shed the most light on an organization’s processes.”
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