Despite patients’ increasing demand to be provided with digital tools by health systems, providers are still struggling to keep up with expectations. A recently conducted survey by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s Center of Connected Medicine revealed that only a third of respondents comprised of more than 100 health system professionals believe that their organizations deliver an excellent consumer experience with the digital health tools provided to patients.
CCM collaborated with HIMSS Media to conduct a survey of 136 professionals at U.S. hospitals and health systems in September of 2019. The main goal is to gain a deeper understanding of how health provider organizations approach the adoption of patient-facing digital tools in institutions. The results, however, were lackluster.
The findings indicate that traditional organizations are possibly left behind by others who have managed to create a more robust digital experience, and that less than one in three respondents believe that their organizations offer a best-in-class digital experience for consumers. Only four in 10 respondents shared that digital tools are successfully carried out to improve overall patient experience, most of which are relegated to only the basic functions. “Tools need to be used by patients, integrated with the health system’s existing technology infrastructure such as electronic health records, and provide a robust and user-friendly experience,” the report read.
Per the survey, the main barriers that healthcare providers face are the cost to build, buy, and maintain digital tools, as well as challenges in integration and operations. These are the key obstacles that stop them from offering a top-quality, digitized user experience. But it’s important to note that the use of third-party applications in healthcare has always been difficult. This is due to the challenges with interoperability of healthcare data, which organizations are planning to resolve by investing in tools that address crucial differentiators like patient check-in and arrival management and monitoring and managing chronic conditions. Still, providers insist that digital health tools are a priority despite the lack of experience in handling them. The respondents say that digitization for patients remains to be of “critical or high” importance for their health systems.
This report echoes a previous study also conducted by the Center for Connected Medicine. At the time, it was found out that broad support for innovation in the C-suite and that health systems are actively in talks with external parties to acquire technologies and expertise to supplement their strengths. Access, information technology, and data analytics were found to be the top functional areas for innovation, followed closely by patient and consumer engagement.
Katie Scott, vice president of digital strategy and innovation at UPMC Enterprises, said that if health systems still can’t provide a great digital experience for patients, people will start looking for alternatives.
“Patients now assume they’ll have the same digital experience in health care that they get everywhere else in their lives, and they’re dissatisfied when we don’t deliver,” she said. “Increasingly, if hospitals and health systems can’t provide a feature-rich and seamless digital experience for their patients, those individuals are going to look elsewhere for care.”
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