Will handshakes become a thing of the past? Will face masks become a regular feature of flu season? Will home-working remain popular, even after workplaces re-open? COVID-19 forced some abrupt behavior changes that challenged existing cultural norms, but as the pandemic subsides, how many of these adaptations will survive? For healthcare executives, the return to on-site medical visits raises similar questions. Healthcare consumers were already expressing an appetite for more convenience and control, and the pandemic accelerated the use of digital solutions for everything from patient access to telehealth. Being able to book appointments, complete pre-registration forms and make payments online is the new baseline. As patient volumes start to increase, hospitals and physician groups shouldn’t take their foot off the gas with digitalization, particularly in patient intake, which doesn’t have to involve in-person contact. There’s an opportunity now to learn from what’s worked well over the last year and cement the pandemic’s digital legacy. What does the new normal look like in patient intake? Getting back to basics with convenience and compassion Once crisis mode has passed, providers can refocus their efforts on the building blocks of an optimal health service: high quality care and a convenient and compassionate patient experience. After the uncertainty and loss of control over the last year, patients want autonomy and choice. Initiating a smooth patient journey through online pre-registration, patient portals, virtual waiting rooms and digital scheduling can contribute to this. Many will be happy to say goodbye to piles of paper forms and long waits in the waiting room. But any digital strategy must also support those with limited access to devices and broadband or limited digital literacy. Liz Serie, Director of Product Management at Experian Health, says: “The goal is to give patients the same exceptional experience and care, regardless of when or how they complete patient intake. Using the same tools that we know our patients are already comfortable with will help to ensure an inclusive approach.” Digital technology can support a multichannel approach, for example, using automated dialers to make phone calls where mobile apps aren’t an option, or using patient data to segment individuals according to contact preferences. Re-engaging hesitant patients The CDC reported in September 2020 that around 40% of adults delayed care due to the pandemic. While more recent data suggests fewer patients are deferring care, some experts worry that patient volumes won’t return to normal until 2022. How can providers ease the return to care? Online health portals were helpful in keeping people out of facilities during the pandemic – can they now serve a different purpose in reminding patients to come in for check-ups? Patients will need clear information about what protocols to follow during patient intake and what to expect from virtual waiting rooms, as well as reassurance that the experience will be safe. Streamlining patient access with accurate data Unlocking the digital front door made logistical sense during the pandemic. It’s even more critical as patient volumes drive back up. Providers will want to review their protocols to be sure that speedy implementation has not left that door open to costly data errors. Is the right information being collected at the right time? Consumers are looking for flexible and accurate appointment slots for self-scheduling, and they want their financial ducks in a row as soon as possible with quick authorizations and coverage checks. Getting data right first time makes for a smoother patient experience, more efficient staff workflows and fewer claim denials down the line. Preparing for an uncertain future Looking ahead, patient intake protocols will need to be flexible enough to adapt to changing patient needs, particularly if there are further waves of the pandemic. Digital solutions can help providers prepare for the unexpected and shift from a reactive response in a crisis to a proactive step towards the future. For many providers, future-proofing the patient intake experience is also an important remedy to the financial losses suffered during the pandemic. Digital solutions built on accurate data, consumer needs, accessible information can protect against further revenue loss by giving patients reliable ways to access and pay for care, no matter what the future holds. Medicine is built on in-person care, but we don’t need to be face-to-face to fill out forms. Patient intake is one area where “the old way” doesn’t have to return. Find out more about how your organization can build on the pandemic’s digital legacy and create a leading patient intake experience.
More than 7 million households moved to a new county during the pandemic. Huge numbers of Americans deciding to escape busy urban centers is one unexpected side-effect of COVID-19 that’s hitting healthcare providers hard. According to a Pew Research Center study, more one in five relocated during the pandemic or know someone who did. More recent research suggests that just over half of Americans plan to move in 2021! While fears around the risk of infection and the knock-on effect of rising unemployment prompted some to seek out quieter and more affordable areas early on in the pandemic, motivations for moving in 2021 are driven by new perspectives on what’s important in life. After a year of uncertainty, many are relocating in search of a better quality of life, remote working opportunities, or adventures someplace new. High turnover calls for better local healthcare marketing Whatever the reason, relocating brings significant upheaval: new jobs, new schools, a new community – and potentially a new healthcare provider. There’s a huge opportunity for providers who can make it easy for new residents to take “find a healthcare provider” off their relocation to-do lists. As the “for sale” signs go up, the geography of healthcare use is changing. Some providers are seeing a dip in their consumer population, while others are gaining new consumers. Providers must think differently about attracting new patients to minimize the risk and impact of this high turnover. How do they find them and communicate in the most engaging way? Here, we look at how healthcare marketing strategies can help providers maintain a pipeline of new patients and inspire lasting loyalty in their existing consumer base. Smart marketing when there’s a surge in new residents Traditionally, providers looking to draw in new patients might rely on “new mover lists” and mailshots. But these lists don’t reveal much about who these new movers are and what they care about, which leads to generic, one-size-fits-all marketing messages. With the right data, providers can access more meaningful insights about these newcomers’ lifestyles, interests, incomes, and preferences, for a more sophisticated marketing strategy. For example, one in ten people aged 18 to 29 are affected by pandemic-related house moves. As a healthcare provider in an area with a growing young population, it would make little sense to send mailshots that promote retirement health checks. A more relevant option might be an email or text with information about a new easy payment app or telehealth service. The more providers understand about potential new patients, the more they can customize their patient engagement strategy. Mindy Pankoke, Senior Product Manager at Experian Health, says: “The heavy movement patterns we expect this year mean providers must double down on acquisition strategies to maintain a healthy pipeline of new patients as consumers move into their service areas. If multiple health systems are trying to attract the same new patients, you need a clear message to differentiate your services. What’s going to resonate most? How do new patients want you to communicate with them? With the right data insights, you can reach them first with a tailored engagement experience and get the competitive edge.” ConsumerView aids this by combining hundreds of millions of data points to reveal how patients spend their time, how they spend their money, and how they think. This includes demographic attributes, communication preferences, credit and financial information, plus insights on how individuals may be affected by the social determinants of health. Using consumer insights to keep existing consumers happy For regions that experience a net loss in patient numbers, retention marketing will be more important than ever. Patients have more choice now, and as providers compete to attract new members, existing patients may spot competitors’ healthcare ads and be tempted to switch too. Consumer data powers retention in much the same way as acquisition, by allowing providers to segment patients to offer personalized communications and point them towards relevant services. For example, new research shows that patient loyalty in pediatrics tends to hinge on quality, while choice of adult care is driven by convenience. Segmenting people with young children from those without means you can focus your messaging on what matters most to them. With a supportive patient experience already available to them, those consumers will have no reason to look elsewhere. Providers shouldn’t rule out marketing to existing patients who have moved. Though they may be in a new area, they can still access services via telehealth. Since convenience is a key motivator, reminding them of remote and virtual offerings could be a great way to retain their business. Focusing on a specific niche not widely available elsewhere is another strategy to retain clients even as they relocate. ConsumerView is one way to leverage consumer insights to improve the customer experience through targeted outreach, regardless of location. This specialty list of consumer data from a trusted original source compiler draws together everything providers need to attract and retain patients and offer a personalized patient experience as communities adjust to life beyond COVID-19. Contact us to find out how consumer data could help your organization market to new and existing residents more effectively in 2021.
Knowing that clinical care accounts for only a portion of health outcomes, understanding how patients are affected by social determinants of health (SDOH) continues to gain attention as a critical factor in care delivery. COVID-19 has thrust the issue even further into the spotlight, with socially and economically vulnerable groups hardest hit by the pandemic. At the same time, the expansion of telehealth services over the last year has benefited some marginalized groups, who may feel uncomfortable visiting health facilities or may, for example, sometimes face challenges finding transportation to and from their visits. What’s clear is that when it comes to mitigating the impact of COVID-19’s lingering effects, patient identities based on clinical data alone simply won’t cut it. Providers need a holistic view of patients – both clinical and non-clinical. Many providers do not have updated contact information for the patients they want to engage, in addition to missing patient-level insights such as housing, food, access to technology, transportation and financial stability data that could help better engage patients. Given the many complicated personal and structural barriers that may exist to accessing healthcare, providers lacking SDOH data in patients’ records are risking avoidable readmissions, unnecessary ED visits, poor care quality ratings and denied reimbursements. Understanding patient needs and preferences via lifestyle factors – like occupation and technological knowledge – helps providers improve engagement, outreach and access. The results can be game-changing. The benefits of an enriched, more robust patient record with SDOH Improved certainty of patient needs to achieve healthy outcomes Whether it’s missed appointments, lack of engagement, deferred treatment, or failure to comply with care instructions – if SDOH is the cause, providers need to know. An enriched patient record that includes clearly defined SDOH risks and insights to those risks is invaluable. For example, if a patient record includes recommended engagement strategies suggesting medication delivery, or ensuring medications are with the patient at discharge, due to the patient’s difficulty accessing a pharmacy, negative outcome risk is reduced. Significant provider blind spots that might otherwise interfere with desired health outcomes can be eliminated or extensively mitigated with access to this kind of data. Consumer data gives additional insight useful in risk stratification efforts, allowing care teams to get granular and proactive if, for example, a patient’s lifestyle makes office-hour calls impossible, or if a lack of transportation requires the patient be informed that telehealth is available. Additionally, the data can flag if the patient prefers reminders by text, voice message or email. These considerations make a difference; 80-90% of modifiable contributors to healthy outcomes for a population are regularly attributed to the social, economic and environmental factors that comprise SDOH. Connecting the dots can improve care coordination SDOH data doesn’t just help flag general access issues; it can also help providers dig into specific challenges that may warrant referrals to community programs or additional staffing support. SDOH data may lead to the discovery that a patient is struggling to access healthy, affordable food and prompt a conversation about getting referred to an in-network nutritionist or local food partnership. Patient-specific information can be merged with consumer databases covering a range of socio-economic data, initiating proactive conversations with patients that can solve non-clinical gaps in care. Clarity of the “why” behind patient insights, for better communication and engagement Someone experiencing financial instability as a result of pandemic-related unemployment will expect a different financial conversation than someone who has lived in poverty for their whole life. Further, two patients with high readmission risk can have completely different social determinants of health impacting that risk. Knowing that patients are affected by SDOH is only one piece of the puzzle. Understanding the bigger picture helps create a whole picture and enables personalized, sensitive, and helpful communication. A turn-key SDOH solution that helps define the “why” behind the score avoids analysis paralysis and enables a quick, effective engagement strategy based on what really matters to patients. Supplementing patient surveys with consumer data is also important, as it provides deeper insights and recommendations for engagement strategies. Of course, a connected system only works when the patient identity is accurate and tracks them from service to service. With a universal identity manager, you can have confidence that your teams are all working from a complete, current and insights-rich view of each patient. Find out more about how Experian Health can help your organization make sense of SDOH data for better patient identity management and a more personalized patient experience.
