Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/949902
77 CIO / HEALTH IT The 'Secret Sauce' to Telehealth Adoption: 4 Pieces of Advice From Teladoc Marketing Chief Stephany Verstraete By Julie Spitzer W hether it's mid-winter cold and flu season or springtime when al- lergies are in full swing, telehealth allows providers to meet their patients where they are — so long as patients are engaged and aware of the technology. For telehealth service provider Teladoc, late December through February tends to be the busiest time, and this winter is no exception, according to Stephany Verstraete, Teladoc's chief marketing officer. Not only is the 2017 to 2018 flu season one of the most aggres- sive in recent years, but when people travel during the holidays, getting an appointment to see a healthcare provider can be tricky. Telehealth offers a solution. "When it comes to [telehealth], you can imagine that initially, it's a little bit counter- intuitive for a patient. ey say, 'Well wait a minute, my provider is telling me that I don't have to come in in-person? at I can get this virtual delivery of care?'" says Ms. Verstraete. Ms. Verstraete isn't a stranger to convincing consumers to go against the grain. Before she joined Teladoc in 2016, she held various lead- ership roles with high-profile brands includ- ing Match.com, Expedia, Kra, Frito Lay and Hostess. For Ms. Verstraete, marketing tele- health feels a lot like her time at Expedia and Match.com, because all three customer expe- riences are still relatively new to consumers. "Teladoc is focused on overcoming an in- grained behavior in which the average person gets sick and thinks 'I have to go to a doctor. I have to go to a physical location to get care,'" Ms. Verstraete says. "We're focused on shi- ing that thinking, so accessing care through virtual delivery is a mainstream behavior." She adds that Teladoc aims to provide a high- ly customizable platform tailored to meet the financial and high-quality care needs of hos- pitals and health systems. "ere is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to business needs of the broad health system market ...What we've developed is an assess- ment tool that allows us to go in and immedi- ately partner with health system prospects or clients and say, 'is assessment tool will help us identify and address your unique need,'" she says. "Identifying the right solution; the right application of telehealth at the on-set is really part of our success. It gives health sys- tems the confidence that they are addressing their priorities and getting a telehealth solu- tion that is uniquely configured to meet their goals and business needs." But raising patient awareness, and getting them to buy into telehealth, is where Ms. Ver- straete says many hospitals see a challenge. Here are her four pieces of advice to hospi- tals and health systems looking to implement telehealth offerings. Editor's Note: Responses have been lightly edit- ed for length and clarity. 1. Vendor, vendor, vendor. "e equivalent of 'location, location, location' in real estate for [Teledoc] is picking the right vendor," she says. e right telehealth vendor will not only bring the soware, but will work with an organization to create a comprehensive, cus- tomized solution that suits its unique patient population and other business needs. "Imag- ine a hospital in a small town in the Midwest: the way that you would provide or engage with that population is very different than how you would if you were in Florida, which sees an influx of people from many different places in the winter." 2. Integrate. "Second, you integrate that cus- tomized solution with the existing care expe- rience," Ms. Verstraete says. Health systems oen tell Teladoc the No. 1 benefit from in- corporating telehealth services in their offer- ings is that it improves coordination of care. For example, a post-surgery patient may be able to virtually meet with their physician for some of their follow-up appointments. "When a patient experiences the combination of in-person care and virtual care for the first time in that context, it suddenly gives them the confidence in virtual care delivery overall. ey have a realization that says, 'Oh I didn't know they did this. I didn't know that I could get care this way,' and a confidence that goes along with it. at then extends into visits for less-acute, more-episodic type conditions." 3. Communicate to raise awareness and adoption. "Communication is key. Driving both awareness and adoption by meeting pa- tients where they are today means you have to have a mobile communication strategy," she says. Ms. Verstraete adds that about three quarters of telehealth requests at Teladoc are made from mobile devices, meaning patients are using these services primarily out of con- venience. "If you are not reaching people on mobile, you're not going to move the needle." 4. Identify your priorities and customize your plan. In a 2017 Teladoc-issued survey, more than three quarters of the health sys- tems surveyed said integrating telehealth ser- vices was a top priority, which demonstrates health systems still have a ways to go in re- gards to telehealth. "What's exciting to see is that the health systems landscape under- stands the importance of virtual care and is really resourcing for it at an increasing rate." "We're trying to overcome ingrained behavior as it relates to care delivery," Ms. Verstraete concludes. "And providers are in a very strong position to break through the primary barri- ers to telehealth adoption and really affect change because they have a very credible voice with their patients." n "Providers are in a very strong position to break through the primary barriers to telehealth adoption and really affect change." — Stephany Verstraete, Chief Marketing Officer, Teladoc