instantly health

COVID-19 and the innovation that continues to rapidly evolve in patients' access and comfort in using digital healthcare can be transformational for the hospital. For example, the pandemic has placed the patient in charge of when, where, and how hospital services are utilized.  Suppose for a moment that the pandemic has taught patients how to change utilization behavior. In that case, telemedicine and digital healthcare teach that one only needs a hospital for a few medically necessary services that cannot be provided in a freestanding ambulatory center. Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay The fourth wave of the digital healthcare transformation is an opportunity for the hospital. The patient is increasingly in control. Patients control their health and health data through wearables, mobile health platforms, telemedicine, and self-tracking devices. Patients have experience expectations based on previous non-healthcare digital experiences by selecting the most appropriate digital ...

Beginning on January 1, 2021, patients should be able to search a hospital or health system website for the prices on 200 standard procedures. Mandated by CMS in 2020, the purpose was to provide a measure of price transparency for patients and consumers when seeking medical care. Image by Niek Verlaan from Pixabay  What happened? In randomly searching the internet on hospitals and health systems websites for pricing information, I found a confusing maze of information.   In all cases, the ability to find and search the information was difficult at best. I know my way around a website, search terms, and the internet as a healthcare provider and vendor marketing professional.   If I have difficulty finding, searching, and using the information to decide, how is a consumer or patient? Kudos to any hospital or health system that provided an experience that made the information easily accessible, searchable, and user-friendly. I am sure that over time with prodding from CMS...

I have worked for enough hospitals, health systems, and vendors in leadership positions to live through the declarations of customer and patient centricity. It’s more than hiring new talent. It’s more than just catching up and using technology more efficiently.  It is a whole lot more than declaring it’s all about the customer. Customer centricity doesn’t happen overnight, especially in healthcare enterprises that have had an internal instead of external focus. It isn’t driven by technology, though that is a tactic and solution. It’s not just a one-and-done training program. It’s not a line in the business or strategic plan. It starts and ends with the culture and focus of the organization. An organization can not treat patients or healthcare consumer as a customer, nor be successful in the endeavor if the very soul of the healthcare enterprise leadership, focus, and culture are not devoted to the customer. It’s all about the healthcare consumer or patient. The only thing that matt...