Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1500412
18 PATIENT & CAREGIVER EXPERIENCE style that instantly communicates that this is not your traditional healthcare ad — nor your typical health system," Keith Fontaine, vice president of marketing and branding. "Patients want easier access to care. ey deserve more affordable care options. Our goal in this campaign is to spark a bold idea," said Mr. Fontaine, quoting the health system's new marketing video. "'It's time to question the status quo, to challenge assumptions and innovate every day.' is puts patients at the very center of the story — right where they belong." Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles doubled down on humanizing healthcare when the COVID-19 pandemic started. Alan Dubovsky, the system's chief patient experience officer, told Becker's he and senior leadership at the medical center discovered the keys to providing the best patient experience are safety and trust. "We never really understood, or never really appreciated, how much people needed that [messaging] from us. I think we always just assumed that people expected [hospitals] to be safe. And we assumed patients trusted us," Mr. Dubovsky said, noting early 2020 became an optimal time to re-energize Cedars-Sinai's patient-focused marketing strategy. A video — one still shown today — was created within a month of the start of the pandemic in mid-2020 and shown to every patient admitted to the hospital. "We so appreciate you trusting us," Mr. Dubovsky said, paraphrasing the video's message. "Like the rest of the world, we know you have a lot of questions about what's going on. While we may not have every answer for you, what we can tell you is you're safe, you're in good hands and we're here to take care of you." Before the onset of COVID-19, some elements of patient experience were "boxed into a cookie cutter approach," Mr. Dubovsky said, adding that the pandemic did give systems such as Cedars-Sinai a moment to reconsider how to approach everything — from feedback to marketing — through a new lens. "In the context of a pandemic we thought, 'If there was ever a time to try something new, let's do it now,'" he said. "Truthfully, I think COVID gave us the flexibility and the freedom to be able to really try out leveraging new platforms and new innovative ways of capturing patient feedback and earning trust, too." e importance of culture Earning a patient's trust is vital, but the "commercialization of healthcare" makes it a hard thing to do, Mr. Maron said. "With all the heavy advertising, patients view hospitals as businesses. Every hospital is pushing, pushing, pushing. It's cold and it's calculating. People feel that," he said. If you are going to be in business, try the "wellness business," Mr. Maron said. "At Holy Name, we know we can't wait for people to get sick to connect with them. We want to be in the wellness business; we want to have relationships that are not transactional." Mr. Maron said hospital leaders must realize that "culture" is more than a buzzword. "Culture is a strong force that will determine the success or failure of your organization," he said. "Harness everything to strengthen the positive culture you want to create and be consistent about it. Also, make sure it's going to differentiate you in a very crowded field." Patrice Sada, director of patient experience at Baptist Health Miami (Fla.) Cancer Institute, said her hospital's newest marketing initiative is a reflection of a culture that focuses on patients and their loved ones. "It challenges each of us throughout the healthcare system to demonstrate compassion with each interaction with our patients and visitors," Ms. Sada said. "It is a simple yet powerful hospitality practice that provides the opportunity to create a memorable patient experience." In the end, marketing efforts have one particular job to do: get patients in the door. Providing an excellent experience that will break down competitive barriers and create lifelong customers is the job of patient-facing employees and clinicians. Jason Guardino, DO, chief experience officer for Oakland, Calif.-based e Permanente Medical Group in Northern California, said, "When hospitals provide excellent experiences, patients report having very good experiences. "erefore, we have to teach doctors and nurses to focus on creating great experiences. When we do that, they become more meticulous about the quality of the care they provide. ey have higher-quality standards and, because of their patient-focused mindset, they're less likely to make medical errors. And, ultimately, there are better patient outcomes." And that is really what success in a hospital looks like: better patient outcomes. Recalling the Robin Williams movie Patch Adams, Mr. Maron said, "You treat the disease, you win or you lose. You treat the person, you win every time." As systems approach begin to move toward preparing for the end of the public health emergency come May, core marketing messaging that reflects patient well-being even in times of uncertainty and transition are likely to remain a constant thread. In the event of a future pandemic, injecting patient voice, concerns, feedback and experience into messaging will be key to maintaining trust, Mr. Dubovsky said. "I think in the blink of an eye, things can change — COVID has taught us that," he said. "It has been a roller coaster of patients, emotion and sentiment, but nothing will get you further than listening to your patients' voices in real time, in my opinion. If you are starting a new campaign, build a platform that allows you to, in real time, capture what patients really want to share with you, and then build messaging around that." n How AI is helping patients reclaim their voice By Mackenzie Bean A rtificial intelligence is pav- ing the way for patients with conditions that hinder their ability to speak to reclaim their voices, The Washington Post reported April 20. Through a process known as "voice banking," companies can record people's voices while they are still intact and recreate them for text-to-speech software. Ad- vances in AI have made the pro- cess cheaper and less time-con- suming, expanding access for people with ALS, throat cancer, cerebral palsy and Parkinson's disease, according to the Post. Now, most companies only need a few hundred sentences to be able to recreate someone's voice. People who've undergone the process say having a comput- er-generated voice that sounds like their own has boosted their confidence and helped them con- nect with the world. n