Becker's Hospital Review

21 PATIENT EXPERIENCE 90% of hospitals lag behind healthcare disruptors in consumer experience By Andrea Park C ompared to new and disruptive competitors such as digital health apps, insurance startups and retail health hubs, traditional health systems are underper- forming in terms of consumer-facing digital experience, a Feb. 20 report found. The Healthcare Consumer Digital Experience Analysis, from Centric Digital and Navigant, evaluated the digital presences of more than 1,400 hospitals and health systems. As a result, about nine out of 10 were found to be severely lagging behind "healthcare disruptors." Here are the top three ways in which the average hospi- tal or health system is trailing behind disruptors such as Oscar, CVS Health, Zocdoc and One Medical, according to the report. 1. Findability: The organizations included in the analysis scored lowest in this category due to a lack of engagement with digital best practices to improve search engine rank- ings and increase online traffic. 2. Content quality: The average healthcare provider also lacks the "mindful planning" of online content that has boosted the consumer experiences for many of their new- er, nontraditional competitors in the healthcare industry. 3. Navigation usability: The analysis also found that the majority of hospital and health system websites were diffi- cult to navigate, rather than enabling visitors to easily and intuitively access digital tools and content. n How to balance Gen Z's desire for digital health tools with boomers' reluctance By Andrea Park W hile most older patients remain wary of engag- ing with digital health tools, younger genera- tions are not only fully on board, but are also choosing healthcare providers based primarily on their digital offerings, according to a report from NRC Health. This generational gap can pose major problems for providers hoping to craft a strategy that appeals to and satisfies every patient. Rather than trying to cater to each generation's individual preferences, however, according to the 2020 Healthcare Consumer Trends re- port, healthcare organizations should focus instead on achieving the one thing patients of all ages can agree on: convenience. "At every point in healthcare, there's so much friction. Customers have a terrible time navigating the system," Brian Curtiss, marketing director at Clearwater, Fla.- based BayCare Health System, said in the report. Healthcare leaders will need to look past generational stereotypes — tech-savvy Generation Z and millennials, and old-fashioned baby boomers — and zero in on the societal and environmental issues affecting their specif- ic patient populations. "Gen X, boomers, millennials — we're all stressed out. We all want things to be more convenient," Mr. Curtiss said. "If an organization can create that feeling of fric- tionless ease, no matter what the demographic of the customer, it'll make them happy." n Cancer treatment-ending celebration distresses some former patients By Anuja Vaidya R inging a bell to celebrate the end of cancer treatment is a common tradition that may cause some patients distress, according to a study published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics. To signal the end of radiation therapy to treat cancer, patients are often told to ring a bell, and while patients appeared to enjoy it, the psychological impact had not been examined. Researchers conducted a study among patients receiving radiation therapy at a single-center outpatient radiation oncol- ogy clinic. ey examined 200 patients, 107 of whom rang a bell at the end of their treatment and then completed a survey. e other 103 patients completed treatment and filled out the survey, but did not ring a bell. e surveys included an 11-point numerical rating scale in combination with a verbal rating scale which included several statements de- signed to describe pain intensity and duration. ey found that patients in the bell group reported worse overall distress scores than the group that did not ring the bell. e researchers also conducted follow-up surveys and found that the "distress persists and even worsens in the months aer treatment." e bell causes "emotional arousal" that "may magnify the distress from cancer treatment," study authors concluded. n

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