Prioritizing Patient Engagement

Want to make your practice profitable?

Make sure you are focusing on patient engagement. It is not only important for improving the quality of care and service for hospitals and practices but also for ensuring better health outcomes for your patients.

• As per a Deloitte survey of healthcare consumers, personalized care from providers, including sensitivity and clear communication is the number one care priority for patients.

Any healthcare organization can function sustainably if its resources are well-aligned with the patients’ priorities. As a growing number of patients are asking for transparent and responsive healthcare systems, your practice cannot afford to ignore the importance of engagement.

Patient engagement is not just for patients

Yes, you read that right. Engagement strategies will not only help the patients but also your staff. It is recommended to offload some administrative tasks to the patients, if they are ready to accept them. For instance, if patients take on routine tasks like, self-setting appointments, it will result in lower no-show rates and better compliance with care plans. This will reduce the workload for your staff and also lead to a healthy bottom line for your practice.

Remember, engaged patients are more likely to return to your practice, more likely to pay their bills and comply with their treatment plans.   

Tips to prioritize patient engagement

What tools and resources you can use for engagement will be based on the existing level of health and goals of your patients. This means, the engagement strategies will vary according to the amount and type of healthcare the patients require.

For instance, if you are dealing with high-risk patients, then you can achieve engagement primarily through care management. This will include sharing of data between the patient and/or family members and the care coordinator. Mobile-friendly communication can also help practices and hospitals in engaging their patients.

• As per a survey, providers can improve engagement rates by 60% or higher by facilitating communication with patients through apps and online portals. 
• With increased online involvement, patient satisfaction can be boosted by 90%
• Make sure you are reducing the wait time for patients too. 
• According to the Medical Group Management Association, long wait times can prove detrimental to the patient experience.

In today’s day and age, patient engagement is all about making the patients empowered, so make sure you allow them to interact with your practice 24/7 medical billing services.