Guest blog contribution by Network Center

Healthcare’s relationship with patients hasn’t changed significantly in decades.

A recent study notes that 88 percent of patients still pick up the phone to schedule appointments and interact with their provider, whereas booking travel arrangements and ordering a pizza has only 20 percent  of customers using the telephone. The automation and self-service of healthcare is on the cusp of massive change. The expectation of providers is beginning to align with other industries and patients being treated as true customers is becoming the norm.

THE INTEGRATED EXPERIENCE

Through an integrated experience, patients can use a single ‘pane of glass’ on their mobile device to completely control their interactions with the provider. Network Center’s HealthCare Connect solution follows an intuitive workflow to help customers manage their appointments prior to arriving at the healthcare facility.

WHAT DOES THIS PATIENT/PROVIDER INTERACTION LOOK LIKE?

Whether a small clinic or a large hospital, with HealthCare Connect, patients now have more information at their fingertips than ever. At any time, the customer can launch the provider’s mobile app and view doctor availability and schedule their appointment.

Once an appointment is scheduled, the provider is able to send a push notification to the patient reminding them of their appointment. The patient can then respond to the notification, confirming they are still able to attend, or need to reschedule.

If a reschedule is necessary, an open time slot can be filled by the provider, closing the gap in the missed billable segment. The value gained in filling these appointments allow the provider to experience ROI in as little as three months!

When appointment day has arrived, native mapping technology provides real-time directions to the correct parking ramp, the right door, and checking in at the right desk.

REVOLUTIONIZING THE PATIENT’S IN-FACILITY EXPERIENCE

Once the patient has arrived at the facility, the facility can now utilize RTLS to check-in for their appointment, putting them in the correct workflow. This allows administration to easily interpret how much time the patient spent within the facility and where they spent their time. RTLS can also ensure that patients are not in the waiting area longer than they should be, alerting staff if time limits are exceeded. By providing the patient an RTLS tag with a simple button press, the patient can rest assured that they can call for help from anywhere in the facility if a situation were to arise.

PATIENT BENEFITS

Aligning expectations with other industries. Self-serve is the new normal. The app allows the patient to be more self-sufficient, and it is becoming popular for facilities utilizing RTLS to be ‘self-rooming’ healthcare facilities. This allows patients to no longer sit in waiting rooms, but go directly to the exam room and staff is then notified that the patient is ready to be seen. This greatly increases the value-add time of the staff member allowing them to spend the vast majority of their time providing care.

Ease of use. With an integration between the facility’s EMR system and RTLS, the patient will automatically be checked into the RTLS system via the EMR, saving time on double entry.

Stickiness. An app is a gateway to building the relationship. The HealthCare Connect app combines with Fuzion RTLS to provide a great customer experience by going above and beyond to make sure the patient is taken care of in every possible way.

PROVIDER BENEFITS

Customers have a choice. Give yourself the advantage patients are looking for. HealthCare Connect and RTLS provide a combination that brings differentiation. As prospective customers determine where they want to receive health care, the app and RTLS put your organization on a different tier of service. As new customers experience efficiency they are not accustomed to within the industry, the odds of them becoming a valued repeat customer greatly increase.

Reducing missed appointments. Missed appointments that aren’t filled can wreak havoc on the bottom line of any walk-in clinic, or other healthcare organization. As mentioned above, the ROI from just filling missed appointments can be experienced in as little as three months.

Big data, analytics, and reporting. Looking for information that makes a difference in the way you serve patients? With HealthCare Connect and RTLS, what gets measured can be managed, and this is a system capable of doing exceptional things in this area with the addition of business intelligence. Not only does this system allow you to take a customized approach to data, but it also allows you tailor your  reports to meet your strategic expectations.

There are many ways in which healthcare providers are utilizing technology to jump out of the past and create benefits for the present. Systems such as HealthCare Connect have been built with the kind of cutting-edge intention that benefits not only the patient, but also creates extraordinary direct value to the provider.