Becker's Hospital Review

3 EXECUTIVE BRIEFING of patients who report that their care provider treated them with respect, showed care and concern, showed interest in their ideas, and spent the right amount of time with them." The inSIGHT Summary tells each patient's unique story, based on information about their preferences, perspectives about their health, perceived barriers to achieving their wellness goals and the greatest sources of stress in their lives. This data helps healthcare providers make a personal connection with patients. According to Dr. Makoul, "One of my studies in primary care demonstrated that, if a doctor made a personal connection in the initial encounter – the very first meeting – patients rated that doctor as knowing them markedly better. If you feel that your doctor knows you well, good things happen in terms of trust, truth-telling, and adherence." Allina Health leverages NRC Health's tools to understand people's health objectives, stated in their own words. "The big goal for a 70-year-old with knee issues might be the ability to walk around the yard with their grandchildren. Understanding these goals humanizes care," Mr. DuFresne said. "When providers reference this information, they have the context which drives connectivity and makes conversations resonate with patients. Our hypothesis is that stronger relationships with primary care providers drive better outcomes over time. It also helps with provider ratings, which matter more and more as people go to the web to see what others have said about a particular provider." NRC Health also provides consumers with an Experience Survey which asks how their visit went. This survey serves many purposes. The results are used to update the inSIGHT Summary. In addition, if something requires clinical follow-up, a service recovery or a safety intervention, an alert management system lets the right people know within the organization. The Experience Survey can also be used to invite people to digital communities to codesign health services, as well as to share reviews on third-party sites. "Personalizing care doesn't mean that you aren't following clinical guidelines," Dr. Makoul said. "It means that you follow clinical guidelines with the recognition that they were written for 'average' patients and you can't apply them to each person in exactly the same way. Personalizing care is adapting the care plan to what a person is ready, willing and able to do. Or figuring out what it will take to help someone be ready, willing and able." In the journey to personalize care, health systems must look to consumers as the North Star The COVID-19 pandemic uncovered new opportunities for healthcare innovation, as evidenced by telehealth, on-demand testing and more. Looking ahead, many hospitals and health systems are hoping to maintain that spirit of innovation and apply it to personalization of care. "We have to take this opportunity to reimagine the patient experience," Mr. Donohue said. "How do we interact with patients and consumers? What could be different and better now? We've seen how powerful consumer perspectives are and now we have a clean slate opportunity to listen to them and put them at the center of their care. Consumers will tell us what they want next. It might seem impossible, but it's important to know as we build the future." Allina Health has taken this advice to heart and is helping patients navigate the myriad care options that exist today. "We added a lot of alternatives for consumers during COVID which has added to the confusion," Mr. DuFresne said. "Should they do virtual urgent care or in-person urgent care? Should they schedule a virtual visit with their provider or an asynchronous visit? We need to find ways to reduce that confusion and make it easier for people to engage and interact with us." During the pandemic, the retail industry figured out how to guide consumers seamlessly from one channel to the next, whether it was ordering online and picking up at the store, or having products home delivered. One of Allina Health's goals is to learn from retailers and to eliminate jarring handoffs as people transition from one care setting to the next. According to Mr. DuFresne, "We must make sure that patients feel that the health system and the people within it are holding their hands along the way, from primary care to specialty care to a hospital stay to post-hospital care and PT after surgery. Healthcare experiences need to feel seamless and like one organization." Conclusion Providing personalized care is more than putting a tagline on a billboard or website. Health systems must make it easy for clinicians to personalize care by finding out what truly matters to people. The key is to ask, listen and respond. "Our goal is to help busy and well-intentioned organizations turn aspiration into action," Dr. Makoul said. "The way they do that is by moving beyond beautiful words and working on consistent behaviors. Our tools make that process more reliable. Personalized care is good for patients, and it's fuel for the soul of people delivering care." n

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