So much of what we do, from paying bills online to checking in for flights, has been made easier and more transparent in the digital age with our ability to manage it all from our phones.
Healthcare is no exception. For years, healthcare systems have used technology to put information in the palms of patients and providers, and they continue to adopt new tools that improve consumers’ digital experience.
NYU Langone Health recently launched a suite of digital tools that will bring patients a new level of convenience and service when they seek care. Patients can use an app on their phone to communicate with providers, schedule and check in for their appointments, pay bills, and more. Integrating patients’ healthcare experience with their mobile devices helps providers to meet patients where they are, not in the clinic during business hours, but at home or at work, 24/7.
Clinicians also benefit from these enhanced technological developments. Between in-person visits, they can conduct twenty-first century house calls, treating patients through video appointments with the use of Epic’s MyChart app. For example, cellulitis is a common bacterial skin infection that’s relatively simple to fix, but can become serious and even life-threatening if it isn’t caught early. Treatment used to require a trip to urgent care or the emergency department to diagnose the problem, then regular check-ups to monitor healing. But doctors at NYU Langone have found an alternative, one that not only increases patients’ involvement in their recovery but also minimizes the burden on patient and physician alike. Using digital images sent from the patient’s mobile device, clinicians can diagnose the condition and monitor progress more efficiently. NYU Langone is now able to track healing in ways they never could before.
The use of apps and wearable devices among patients has doubled in recent years. Additionally, almost eighty percent of patients report they already wear or are strongly considering wearing technology that tracks their vital signs and fitness habits. Ninety percent would share that information with their doctor, and now, they can. Using Epic, patients can connect their personal fitness trackers, smart scales, and other devices to their MyChart account, giving patients more options for keeping clinicians up-to-date between office visits.
Digital mobile capability isn’t a magic bullet. Despite the fact that a growing number of people prefer virtual visits, some conditions still require a visit to the hospital or clinic for treatment and monitoring, and sometimes an in-person visit is more appropriate. When we need something routine like filling a prescription, convenience is king, but when you’re the parent of a child with the flu, the value of a friendly face and an understanding ear might be worth any inconvenience in scheduling a face-to-face visit. Technology isn’t a replacement for in-person care; it’s an amplifier - one that can facilitate stronger communication between physicians and patients.
A seamless, fully integrated digital patient and provider experience is becoming a significant component of top-quality care. Five years from now, organizations won’t compete only on price, access to care, and traditional measures of quality. Patients will not simply measure their experience based on their health outcomes, but also based on the care path that got them there. The organizations delivering the best patient experience will be the same ones excelling at accessibility via technology, and their electronic health records must support them on this journey.
Janet Campbell is the Vice President of Patient Experience at Epic.