Offices can create engagement by communicating with patients in a way that drives that two-way interaction. For example, remote patient monitoring for chronic conditions allows office to remind a patient to adhere to their treatment plan while also prompting the patient to provide health metrics and comply with their medications on a daily basis. If the patient is not compliant, the office is notified and can reach out to the patient with advice, education and interventions specific to their needs.

Compliance
Compliance, the third component of patient stickiness, is often the hardest one to manage. The good news is, compliance is both a product of, and a catalyst for, engagement and loyalty.
Loyal patients are often much more compliant because they have had time to establish a good relationship with the provider and their office staff. This usually means their care team is more informed and has had time to develop a care plan that accounts for the patient’s medical history, risk factors and health goals. This in-turn drives compliance as patient’s reach for their individual health goals.

Engaged patients will take compliance a step further as they begin to understand how their actions impact their outcomes and their progress towards those goals. Their engagement transcends their compliance with appointments and screenings and begins to impact their everyday choices and their willingness to adhere to their care plan. Offices that remain engaged can more closely monitor subtle changes and offer course corrections if compliance slips. This cycle reaffirms the patient engagement and further drives compliance.

Stickiness
As you can see, Loyalty, Engagement and Compliance do not stand alone in creating patient “stickiness.” Rather they work together, each enhancing the other. Loyalty and compliance often fall on the part of the patient, with the provider creating an environment that promotes both traits. Driving engagement, however, usually falls squarely on the office or provider. Putting all three together relies on both parties and results in the type of patient stickiness many offices are looking for.

About the author: Dr. Naveen is the CEO and Founder of HealthKOS. As Innovator in ‘Patient Centric Health Solutions,’ Dr, Goel’s goal is to help healthcare organizations provide quality care while reducing costs. Dr. Goel is an interventional nephrologist with expertise in access care for dialysis patients.

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