Becker's Hospital Review

44 Executive Briefing: Patient Engagement Strategy Sponsored by: P atient engagement is often framed as an extra step hos- pitals and health systems must take to help patients be- come active participants in healthcare decision-making, treatment and wellness. But rather than an extra step, there is another way to look at en- gagement: It is healthcare's chance to catch up to what consum- ers already expect. Patients are accustomed to technology as part of everyday life. They use mobile devices, texting and email to stay in touch, and technol- ogy platforms let them complete a range of interactions every day. The ability to purchase airfare, make dinner reservations, check bank statements and complete educational courses online has made life easier, more convenient and more delightful for many. Now people expect to interact with their care teams the same way, an option that was cumbersome if not unthinkable for years. What is called "patient engagement" is really the industry catch- ing up to patients' expectations and standards. When you look at it this way, hospitals and health systems are just getting started, and many leaders are unsure about how best to proceed. First step: Define the vision There is no "one-size-fits-all" approach to patient engagement. The first step leaders must take is customizing what patient en- gagement will look like in their organization. Defining this vision will ensure the organization pursues the new patient relationship with a focused, granular understanding of what it entails. Patient engagement requires buy-in from every facet of a hos- pital. It involves the entire care team, family, administration and staff. Each aspect is critical to a successful patient engagement strategy. Individuals and families should be encouraged and treated as ac- tive participants in their care and decision-making. But healthcare is local and personal, and one engaged patient may look different from the next. Here are some characteristics and behaviors that may define an "engaged" patient: • The patient participates in shared decision-making with his or her care team. • The patient accesses their personal health records online. • The patient engages in wellness activities and preventive care. • The patient adheres to treatment plans and medication re- gimes. • The patient seeks health information and knowledge. Secondly, the healthcare team should be prepared and supported to collaborate with patients, families and other members of the care team. When a hospital's leadership, staff and providers are involved in creating the patient engagement vision, they are more likely to be enthusiastic about implementing it. Rely on policies and procedures when moving forward with patient engagement. Share the benefits of patient engagement with staff and providers often so they understand the reasons for every change imple- mented. Finally, the organization should encourage collaboration, main- tain accountability and integrate the patient and family perspec- tive into all parts of strategic planning. Leaders should consider input from physicians, nurses, medical assistants, administrators and staff when selecting the tools and resources they will use to meet their engagement targets. Second step: Fuse technology into the culture to support patient engagement Where does technology come in? Patient portals are a staple in any patient engagement strategy. They lay the foundation for this relationship. Portals also let hospitals and health systems tap into the consumer expectation for technological access to healthcare information and secure messaging capabilities. As hospitals es- tablish patient engagement strategies with a balance of online, live and automated services, patient portals are a critical element and provide user-friendly features like online bill pay, patient reg- istration, appointment scheduling and lab results. But portals are not silver bullets. For a technology platform to work, leaders must first establish cultures of engagement within their organizations. Make sure staff is on board with the relation- ships they are expected to build with patients and families. Sup- port from physicians, nurses, medical assistants, administrators and staff is critical to patient engagement, so ensure they are comfortable with the tasks they must complete and how a portal may change their daily workload. Help your teams understand how patient engagement will actually decrease the amount of monotonous or zero-value-added tasks staff face daily. This will let them focus more of their time and energy on more important work or time at the patient bedside. Technology can put action back in the hands of patients, letting caregivers and staff focus on tasks of higher priority for the orga- nization. There may also be concerns that patient messaging will take up clinical time. But studies have shown secure messaging actually improves workflow for clinicians. A 2013 report from the Ponemon Institute found the average clinician wasted more than 45 minutes per day due to outdated communication technology. The ineffi- ciency of pagers and email and lack of texting capabilities were top reasons cited for this wasted time. Deficiencies in communi- cation also slow down patient discharge, which can exceed 100 minutes on average. Patient Engagement: The Hospital Leader's 3-Step Roadmap

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