Aug 08 224 min read

The pandemic further highlighted the need to listen better to patients and learn from their point of view. By doing so, providers and vendors alike can make sure the technology used in healthcare reflects patients’ needs and desires. Unfortunately, patients are still often absent from conversations about healthcare IT.

KLAS recently partnered with patient intake vendor Phreesia to survey 13,000 patients across the U.S. to find out more about what they want and need from patient engagement technology. A new report, Patient Perspectives on Patient Engagement Technology 2022, summarizes the results of this research. The report provides breakouts to the data that can be used to help identify where to invest money to get the biggest impact.

A look at what patients value

The research sheds light on key reasons why patients choose their doctors, as shown in the chart below. Obviously, there are things organizations can change and things that they can’t. They likely can’t change the location of their facilities or their availability – outside of hiring more physicians. But outside of those two primary drivers, there is a huge opportunity to create a great experience with digital tools.

One example is price transparency, which has been regulated since the beginning of 2021. Organizations are required to be able to tell patients what they will pay for a certain procedures. And technology plays an important role in providing that information.

The survey results show that patients desire to be more empowered in their care. The things that patients want to accomplish with technology are not rocket science. Many other industries have already figured out how to do self-scheduling appointments and online bill pay, for example. There are unique challenges in healthcare, particularly for specialties, but the industry can still learn from what other sectors already are doing.

Voices for telehealth

Healthcare saw a huge increase in the use of telehealth during the height of the pandemic. But then telehealth usage started to drastically decrease. Organizations are now trying to figure out whether the government is going to continue to reimburse them for telehealth visits. Some are asking whether they even need to continue to offer telehealth.

But the survey results illustrate why organizations should figure out a way to offer telehealth services regardless of whether reimbursement is the same. The study shows that about half of patients had participated in virtual visits in the past year. And most of those patients are likely to maintain or increase their volume of virtual visits. Of those that have not had a virtual visit, many say they’re likely to eventually try using telehealth. All the indicators show that most patients still want to be able to access care virtually.

Why patients’ perspectives matter

Despite the increased challenges facing healthcare providers right now, they must focus on implementing the technologies that patients want. After all, better patient satisfaction drives better HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) survey scores. Those scores, in turn, affect reimbursement rates.

Organizations that figure out how to digitally engage with their patients will retain their patients. Consumers increasingly are going to choose providers who create the desired experience (within the confines of what insurance plans will cover). And convenience is a significant factor. Can I schedule my appointment online? Do I have to fill out another form after I’ve already provided the information over the telephone? Factors like these drive satisfaction.

If a healthcare provider organization can engage patients through technology in a way that impacts their behaviors, that could potentially reduce the cost of care. It makes sense, for example, to expand use of remote patient monitoring so patients can be discharged from the hospital more quickly to recover in the comfort of their homes.

Dan Czech and Adam Cherrington are analysts at KLAS Research.