McKinsey & Company’s “2022 State of Customer Care” survey warns of a “perfect storm” brewing in today’s healthcare environment. Today’s frontline healthcare workers have expressed exhaustion and burnout from unmanageable patient workloads due to COVID, flu, and other surges, with many simply calling it quits. In what has been coined The Great Resignation, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the healthcare sector has lost nearly half a million workers since February 2020. Forbes recently reported that this translates to an estimated 20% loss of its workforce, including 30% of nurses.
Patients are equally exasperated with challenges related to fragmented healthcare services. Today’s healthcare consumer is accustomed to digital engagement in other aspects of their lives and expects it in clinical care. In today’s pandemic-affected world, they expect seamless transactions and online engagement with Amazon-level convenience. Millennials are particularly losing patience, with 43% compared to 20% of Baby Boomers likely to switch practices in the next few years.
In this highly stressed environment, McKinsey notes that “Customer experience is more important than ever – yet has never been more challenging as companies face a perfect storm of call volumes, talent shortages, and rising customer expectations.”
Enter the Digital Front Door
To create a holistic patient experience and offload burdensome administrative work for staff, forward-looking healthcare organizations are exploring ways to build what is known as the “Digital Front Door.” In simple terms, the Digital Front Door is a virtual means for consumers to interact with a health system or hospital, integrated with in-person services, whether the patient is present or not in the facility. It is important to note that this goes far beyond creating a portal, typically deploying programs powered by artificial intelligence (AI) across inpatient, ambulatory and post-acute care settings.
The goal when deploying AI is to simplify the provider and consumer experience – a win-win for both, resulting in higher patient satisfaction and quality of care while reducing staff burden and costs. Typical uses include convenient self-serve options to divert routine administrative calls, such as making or canceling an appointment. Digital intake is another area that can be greatly streamlined, enabling patients to verify insurance forms for preapproval, sign consents digitally before arriving at an appointment or even be guided through the steps needed to prepare for a procedure.
Implementing Digital Self-service
First Choice Neurology, which is the largest U.S. private practice neurology group in South Florida, applied a digital approach to fully automate patient intake at its smaller clinics. Working with QliqSOFT, they implemented digital self-service for patients to perform routine activities. They also initiated medical chatbots to consult their doctors or other clinicians about pre- and post-visit clinical concerns and outcomes. This resulted in an 18% decrease in staff overtime while improving clinical revenue by 10-15%.
Virtua Health, a community healthcare system with 280-plus locations across New Jersey and Philadelphia, worked with QliqSOFT to launch a web-based consumer-facing collaboration platform with digital capabilities. Their broad use of digital health tools achieved a world-class Net Promoter Score of 80, reflecting high patient satisfaction.
From automated patient communication to streamlined clinical collaboration and operational efficiencies, QliqSOFT is helping healthcare provider organizations like yours to improve patient satisfaction, increase staff retention, lower costs, and increase revenue – a true win-win for all. Ready to learn how QliqSOFT can help your organization launch its Digital Front Door? Contact us today to discuss your challenges and allow us to craft a personalized solution for you.
