Operations Needs to Match Access – Key Message from ATLAS 2021

November 16, 2021
Colin Hung
5 Min Read

One of the key themes that ran through the ATLAS 2021 event hosted by Kyruus was how operations and infrastructure needs to match the level of access being offered to patients. If a healthcare organization is not ready for the volume, not only will patients have a poor experience, but staff will be frustrated and exhausted. Thankfully several simple tactics were shared by presenters on how to address this.

Address Clinician Concerns

This might seem like an obvious one, but before rolling out online self-scheduling for patients, it pays to get clinicians on board first. Tarun Kapoor MD, SVP and Chief Digital Transformation Officer at Virtua Health, pointed out that many clinicians are worried that online scheduling will mean jammed packed schedules that are constantly shifting. That doesn’t have to be the case if you set up the parameters for online scheduling properly.

Think Like a Consumer, Especially for Low-Acuity

Patients want consumer-like experiences and conveniences when it comes to healthcare. We’ve seen that wave wash over us the last few years. Jennifer Bollinger, SVP of Consumer Strategy at Ochsner, had an interesting comment about how that might be different for low-acuity vs high-acuity situations.

According to Bollinger, in high-acuity situations, patients just want to get better and most consumer-oriented thinking goes out the window. Her point was not to waste time or energy building consumer features into areas where patients don’t want/need them.

Patients Need Support for RPM

Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) became a necessity during COVID-19 and it is quickly becoming a preferred way to deliver care. However, rolling out an RPM program means more than deploying technology.

Organizations need to have the clinical AND technical support behind it. Specifically people who can walk patients through the setup of the RPM devices and answer technical questions is needed. One of the panels discussed this at ATLAS 2021.

Scheduling

Katie Scott, Vice President at UPMC Enterprises, shared an interesting stat that demonstrated why online appointment booking is so important:

She then went on to suggest that organizations take small steps when rolling out online scheduling. Instead of trying to make it available for all departments and all types of appointments right at the start, she recommends starting with the easiest appointments or with the department that is most eager.

Pam Landis, Vice President at Hackensack Meridian Health, spoke about the need for clear workflows around online appointment booking. They key, according to Landis, is not just providing patients with different channels through which to book an appointment, but to funnel them to the right schedule to ensure the appointment is booked correctly the first time.

Best Quote

The best quote from ATLAS 2021 came from Catherine Harrell, Chief Marketing Officer at Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System who had this to say about the term “meeting patients where they are”:

PFAC

One of the most fascinating sessions at ATLAS 2021 was one featuring members of Kyruus’s Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC). You read that right…Kyruus has their own PFAC. It was fun to listen to their patient stories and to their perspectives on how+why access needs to be improved in healthcare.

A lot of Health IT companies have advisory committees, but I have not seen any that have a PFAC. So kudos to Kyruus.

Sea Lions!

I also must give kudos to the Kyruus Marketing Team for once again including a memorable lunch break as part of their annual event. Last year we had the chance to watch penguins being fed at the New England Acquarium. It was fun and relaxing. This year, they upped their game and gave us sea lions!

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Colin Hung

Colin Hung is the co-founder of the #hcldr (healthcare leadership) tweetchat one of the most popular and active healthcare social media communities on Twitter. Colin speaks, tweets and blogs regularly about healthcare, technology, marketing and leadership. He is currently an independent marketing consultant working with leading healthIT companies. Colin is a member of #TheWalkingGallery. His Twitter handle is: @Colin_Hung.

   

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