In all the upheaval and uncertainty around healthcare – consolidations, regulations, budget crises, workforce shortages – it can be easy to overlook the person at the center of it all: the patient.
That would be a mistake because patients, long overlooked as passive recipients of healthcare, are exerting an ever-greater influence on what their care looks like, as well as how and by whom it is delivered. Patients, particularly younger ones, are redefining their relationships with their providers and with healthcare in general. And providers who do not adjust to this new reality will have a hard time attracting and retaining patients.
Patients’ increasing autonomy undoubtedly concerns some providers, but they shouldn’t fear it any more than they should ignore it. It’s an opportunity for them to better engage with their patients and improve outcomes, while also realizing new efficiencies and improved workflows.
Amid the rising influence of patients in healthcare, here are a few key factors providers need to stay keenly aware of as the changing role of the patient continues.
Patient experience will become even more important. After decades of adjusting their lives to the timetables and preferences of physicians, patients now expect their providers to conform to their schedule and offer the same convenience options found in other industries. And if they don’t, patients will find a provider that does.
It might help providers to think of patients as consumers. Specifically, consumers who are used to shopping around for services and technology and who do not hesitate to leave one company for another that offers a better product, price, or experience. In the view of many patients, healthcare has become a commodity that can be delivered by any number of providers in an ever-growing number of settings.
Next-generation workflows will improve the patient experience. Improving patient engagement and experience can be a drain on limited workplace resources and a burden on overworked staff. Some healthcare systems have even begun charging patients to respond to messages, at the risk of alienating them. AI is evolving and can deliver automated responses to patients for most questions, while routing more complex inquiries to the most appropriate resource. Generative AI will bring patient engagement to a new level while simultaneously decreasing the amount of human effort to produce it.
Patients will expect better technology. Few things are more off putting to today’s tech-savvy patients than being forced to deal with obsolete technology, like fax machines, paper forms, and voicemails. They use up-to-date technology in their jobs and personal lives, so they don’t see why they should have to settle for outdated systems when it comes to something as important as their healthcare.
