Great expectations

Hey Health Techies!

Last week I shared an article about a survey that showed some interesting disparities between patient and healthcare professional’s sentiments around technology and healthcare delivery. This week we dive a little bit deeper into this topic and whether patient expectations are really poised to be met in coming years.

But first! In an effort to best serve you and this community, I would love it if you would take just 2 minutes of your time to fill out this quick survey so I can get a little insight into you and your interests. Thank you!

Ok back to the main topic for today…

• The article I shared last week was timely (hence why it appeared in the weekly wrap-up section), but perhaps not completely unbiased. Afterall, it was written by a healthcare technology company about a study that they conducted themselves.

• It stated that 53% of consumers surveyed believe that adding more technology would improve the patient experience. Of course they might say that patients want technology and that this is the way of the future as a way of convinving providers to buy their software.

• So I set out to corroborate their findings with other bodies of work out there.

🤷🏻‍♀️ What do patients expect out of their healthcare experience these days?

• It turns out that patients are excited about using technology as a part of their healthcare routine, but they don’t want this to be at the “expense of face-to-face contact with their doctor.”

• Patients want to feel empowered, but also need the tech tools that they use to be personalized and intuitive, and perhaps most importantly, used in partnership with their provider, not instead of.

👨🏽‍⚕️ So what is stopping healthcare professionals from meeting these expectations?

• Ha! Well I’m preaching to the choir here, but a lot of things.

• Mostly? Time. Time to research solutions that could improve efficiency and experience for everyone. And once a solution is identified? Time to implement.

• Implementing technology can be a costly and time-consuming endeavor. If it’s going to be done, clinicians need to be sure that their needs met which is hard when historically their voices have been left out of the process of building of these tools.

• This is something that I’ve seen firsthand working in the industry. The companies that get it, get it. And the ones that don’t, oversimplify the complexity of clinical workflows and get it wrong.

• What I found interesting was that this is exactly why patients are struggling with the adoption of technology tools as well. A narrative review published in PEC Innovation stated that “despite digital health tools being designed for patients’ perceived needs, it appears that they have rarely involved patients in the design process from the early stages, and there is a lack of attention to their perspectives.”

🤞🏼 Will patients be able to continue separating the care that they receive from the broader healthcare system?

• Let me explain. While I did not specifically come across this point in my research, I think up until now patients have been able to distinguish the difference between their feelings toward their healthcare provider and their feelings toward the healthcare system.

• However, as patient expectations increase will a great interaction with their provider make up for the long wait, clunky appointment making process, and coordination with other offices for data sharing?

• The short answer? I’m not sure. The good news is that sicker and/or more discerning patients know that great care is worth its weight in gold and likely will continue to tolerate some small inconveniences in order to see their favorite care providers, just as I stated at the beginning. Technology is no replacement for great face-to-face care.

• But the healthier patients? I think we’ll see them choose start to convenience more and more, whether it’s the ease of a telehealth visit or — maybe in the not so distant future — access to an AI powered provider experience.

So what is my take? Patients are speaking up about the healthcare experience that they expect and desire. No longer are they being forced into a small set of local providers simply because that’s all that is available.

They want more options. More transparency. More access. And more technology. But it’s up to the tech companies to ensure that they are bring both patients and clinicians into the fold as products are being designed because clinicians alone can’t force patients to engage with a poor patient experience in a tech product, and patient interest alone isn’t enough to get clinicians onboard with a product that doesn’t meet their needs.

It’s my hope that this community is a part of bringing about that change because I think we all know that an empowered patient is a happier and healthier patient.

Do you feel like patients and clinicians will be getting more of what they want out of technology solutions in the next 5-10 years? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

📰 Weekly Wrap-up

• Epic hit with antitrust suit

• VC powerhouse Andreessen-Horowitz invests in veterinary AI company Scribenote

👀 Don’t miss these open roles

• Medical Student - Mochi Health

• Customer Experience Enablement Specialist - Omada Health

• Clinical Programs Manager - Cartwheel Care

• and more!

Until next time,

Lauren