In the last 40 years, fictional projections of the future of healthcare have ranged from unimaginable technological advances to downright barbaric solutions (and at times a combination of both). We’re still light years away from anything as advanced as a tricorder a la Star Trek but we’re ankle deep in the science of mind controlled robotic prosthetics. We ARE making progress.
It’s the mundane, day-to-day infrastructure of healthcare that was never glorified on the big screen. And why should it be? Would you be willing to pay $20+ to watch a character navigate through a highly advanced communication system just make an appointment with a podiatrist?
Yet this is what consumers crave. Patients are looking to engage with healthcare in the same way one would make reservations at a local restaurant. They expect to be able to access their data through a single portal, while not having to enter and reenter data, and they’d like to do this without having to interact with a single person. It needs to be quick, it needs to be seamless, and it needs to be done all in one session. And if this isn’t the default? Patients will simply move on.
According to an Accenture report from 2020, almost two-thirds of patients are likely to change healthcare providers if their current provider doesn’t meet their expectations for healthcare management–proper sanitary and safety protocols pertaining to COVID top the list of patient concerns, but notably they do mention that they’ll leave if they’re not supplied with convenient, and secure virtual care options.
You might think to yourself, “Well, I provide telehealth. We have a patient portal. There is nothing for us to worry about.” But have you considered the patient access that goes above and beyond the appointment?
Three-quarters of patients are interested in online chat and texting to complete check-ins and check outs. Nearly half of patients want to book appointments online and more than half would happily switch providers if that was an option provided to them. Over half of patients are open to remote monitoring of health issues through mobile medical devices.
Those are just a handful of services that commercial brands like Amazon and Best Buy are more than happy to provide to patients, but at what cost?
It’s not too late for health systems to lean into modernity and provide patient access that rivals top tech brands. Patients still trust traditional health care systems. Let’s keep it that way.
Pixel Health creates a cultural bridge between the needs of providers and the capabilities of their technology to ensure that no time or effort is wasted on the mistranslation that can happen between them as each grow and adapt to fit the needs of patients. We dedicate ourselves to being experts in not only technology, but in the practical needs of the people using it.
