The volume of healthcare patient communications is increasing exponentially, and patients want a hyper-personalized experience. The healthcare industry has been a traditional laggard in this area but has slowly introduced more advanced capabilities. They have been learning from industries like airlines, retail, and hospitality. Helped by integrations between EHR data, historical records and persona insights reveal incredibly useful data. With the ability to utilize Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) data, healthcare systems are on the verge of accelerated breakthroughs.
Personalized Patient Experience
Older technologies like video are finally starting to shine through. Video conferencing has become more common for follow-up appointments and check-ins since COVID. New tools like chatbots and virtual reality now provide unprecedented levels of engagement and immersion.
New technologies won't amaze new generations; they will demand them. Thanks to the Amazon effect, they also expect you to predictively know why they are contacting you. They refuse to pick through a series of options like Press 1 for this or press 2 for that. If you can't answer their questions quickly, they will go find someone who can.
Data is Imperative for Personalized Patient Experiences
What's driving these changes? In a word: data. The healthcare industry is awash in data but has only just begun to scratch the surface. This data is used to create a hyper-personalized patient experience.
EHR data, combined with social media and collected data, gives you a wealth of information about each patient. You can use this data to segment patients into cohorts, understand their needs and preferences, and craft targeted communications. For example, if I place a call to your contact center, you should already know it is as a last resort. I have already tried to find the answers online. This frustrates me, and I need answers quickly and efficiently, according to my persona.
Personalization is no longer a nice-to-have; it's a necessity. You risk losing your patients if you're not personalizing your patient communications, meeting them on their terms, and connecting with them using the technology they prefer.
The battle lines have been drawn between non-traditional healthcare companies like #Walmart, #Amazon, #Google and #Apple, but also challenges ancillary healthcare companies like #CVS #Walgreens #riteaid and even payers such as #humana #unitedhealthgroup and #optum to jump into the ring.
What does this mean for patients? They can expect a more personalized, engaging experience that meets their needs on a deeper level. With better access to information and greater transparency around their care, they'll be able to make more informed decisions about their health. In short, the future of patient communication is looking very bright.
