• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

  • COVID-19
  • Opinion
  • Health IT
    • Behavioral Health
    • Care Coordination
    • EMR/EHR
    • Interoperability
    • Patient Engagement
    • Population Health Management
    • Revenue Cycle Management
    • Social Determinants of Health
  • Digital Health
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Blockchain
    • Mobile Health
    • Precision Medicine
    • Telehealth
    • Wearables
  • Startups
  • M&A
  • Value-based Care
    • Accountable Care (ACOs)
    • Medicare Advantage
  • Life Sciences
  • Research

Consumer Engagement: The Quest for the Holy Grail

by Our Thought Leaders 02/24/2016 Leave a Comment

  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Email
  • Print

Consumer Engagement: The Quest for the Holy Grail

Editor’s Note: Ryan Rossier is the VP of Product Innovation at digital health firm Medullan that specializes in amazing user experience.

Realizing results by delivering the right information, at the right time, in the right way – remains the elusive holy grail of consumer engagement.

Ryan Rossier
Ryan Rossier

A new study published by Accenture Life Sciences shows that only one out of every five patients is aware of the number and type of therapeutic services available to them after diagnosis.   The study found that the period between diagnosis and treatment is the most frustrating time for patients, with over two-thirds of survey respondents indicating that there is room for improvement.  This represents a great opportunity for healthcare institutions to provide patients with information and support to navigate through this confusing and complicated time.

However, healthcare consumers don’t only need help post-diagnosis.  The study also suggests that consumers yearn for notifications from their healthcare professionals when they are at risk of developing a condition which could impact their lives in the future.  Thirty four percent of survey respondents highlighted their frustration at the lack of information, support, and guidance they received during this “grey area” of having a pre-condition but trending in the wrong direction.

These findings represent just one recent data point which wipes away a common question asked amongst healthcare professionals tasked with engaging patients and members: “Do my consumers want this information?  Do they want and expect more from me?”  The resounding answer is “YES!”.  Knowing this, we can focus on the key challenges of consumer engagement – knowing exactly WHAT information to present, and WHEN and HOW to present it in a way that resonates with users, maximizing the chance that they will take an appropriate action.

If you are looking to increase engagement with your healthcare consumers, here are 5 steps that can help:

1. Get to Know Them

It all begins with knowing who your users are, and understanding what they’re going through. This may begin with segmenting your population based on demography, geography, psychology, and technology. However, to be most effective, you must get personal quickly, and include data such as specific medical history, prognosis, and observed behaviors. Initially, organizations must build trust and demonstrate empathy through showing they understand their users enough to appreciate what they’re going through.

2. Simplify the Experience

Present users with the right information necessary for action, and do it through the most appropriate communication channels. First and foremost, this is about delivering a unified and simplified experience to users. A recent panel of some of the Bay Area’s most forward-thinking healthcare companies agreed that breakthrough innovation will come from how information is presented to users. 

“It’s really easy to take something complicated and make it more complicated. Real progress comes when we simplify complicated things for people,” – Collective Health Co-founder and Chief Health Officer Rajaie Batniji 

3. Provide Relentless Suport

Support your users in the actions they decide to take. Regardless of how large or small the action is, having an easy to use and accessible support system is important – a nurseline, a technology live chat window, or simply a secure email address or number to text with rapid response – people need to know they have a safety net.

4. Meet Them Where They Are

Ensure your consumers feel that you’re taking the journey with them. Showing your consumers that you’re aware of their journey through every interaction you have with them builds trust. This could be a simple email notification when a certain goal or step in a program is complete or a phone call to nudge someone if it appears that they have stopped making progress on their pre-operation checklist.

5. Listen and Learn

Finally, you must use what you learn about your consumers to improve how you interact with them. This may be as simple as validating the best time to call them during a day or week. Or understanding what technology devices a family has in the house. Every piece of data learned, must be used to create a more personalized and valuable service to your users.

An A.T. Kearney report from 2011 on engaging health plan members articulates the great opportunity that health plans have to lead the charge on healthcare consumer engagement.  Although plans may point to some small wins over the past few years, Accenture’s recent findings show the holy grail of engagement has yet to be discovered, if not proven. Now, more than ever healthcare organizations across the continuum of care such as health and hospital systems, big pharma, and even device manufacturers are expected to engage with their consumers across the healthcare journey. This expectation from consumers will force more organizations  to set out on the quest, to find the elusive holy grail of consumer engagement. 

Opinions expressed by HIT Consultant Contributors are their own.

Featured image credit: CucombreLibre via cc

  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Email
  • Print

Tagged With: Medullan

Get in-depth healthcare technology analysis and commentary delivered straight to your email weekly

Reader Interactions

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to HIT Consultant

Latest insightful articles delivered straight to your inbox weekly.

Submit a Tip or Pitch

Knowledge Hub

10 Critical KPIs Every Successful Healthcare Organization is Implementing10 Critical KPIs Every Successful Healthcare Organization is Implementing

How to Build Hybrid Care Models Around Remote Patient Monitoring

How to Build Hybrid Care Models Around Remote Patient Monitoring

Trending

Why The Evolution of Tech Will be Based on APIs

Why The Evolution of Tech Will be Based on APIs

Podimetrics CMO Talks Supporting Patients Living with SDoH Challenges

Podimetrics Director Talks Supporting Patients Living with SDoH Challenges

: Does Alzheimer’s Cure Matter if We Don't Fix the Economic Infrastructure of the Disease?

Does Alzheimer’s Cure Matter if We Don’t Fix the Economic Infrastructure of the Disease?

Recent Digital Health Partnerships

Roundups: 15 Recent Digital Health Strategic Partnerships

Recent Digital Health Executive Hires & Board Appointments

Digital Health Executive Hires: Practice Better Appoints CEO, HHAeXchange, Intelerad, Tegria, Others

M&A: Florence Acquires Virtual Care Solution Zipnosis

M&A: Florence Acquires Virtual Care Solution Zipnosis

Adopting Value-Based Care Models for Autism Care Is Imperative

Why Adopting Value-Based Care Models for Autism Care Is Imperative

UNC Health to Pilot Epic, Microsoft’s Generative AI Tool

UNC Health to Pilot Epic, Microsoft’s Generative AI Tool

Vanderbilt University Medical Center Taps Philips Reduce Carbon Footprint

Vanderbilt University Medical Center Taps Philips to Reduce Carbon Footprint

Denials Management Named Most Time-Consuming Task in RCM

Denials Management Named Most Time-Consuming Task in RCM

Secondary Sidebar

Footer

Company

  • About Us
  • Advertise with Us
  • Reprints and Permissions
  • 2023 Editorial Calendar
  • Submit An Op-Ed
  • Contact
  • Subscribe

Editorial Coverage

  • Opinion
  • Health IT
    • Care Coordination
    • EMR/EHR
    • Interoperability
    • Population Health Management
    • Revenue Cycle Management
  • Digital Health
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Blockchain Tech
    • Precision Medicine
    • Telehealth
    • Wearables
  • Startups
  • Value-Based Care
    • Accountable Care
    • Medicare Advantage

Connect

Subscribe to HIT Consultant Media

Latest insightful articles delivered straight to your inbox weekly

Copyright © 2023. HIT Consultant Media. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy |