When patients are disconnected from their own care processes, this ultimately means that treatment and care management won’t be as optimal as can be. Health outcomes obviously take a hit because of it. Patient dissatisfaction, on the other hand, can also be just as devastating. It servers the trust between patients and their physicians, which can derail medical interactions in the future. Overall, it’s quite clear what hospitals stand to gain from boosting engagement and satisfaction. What might not be is how virtual health solutions can achieve that. In light of this, we discuss the how of it all below:
1. Virtual health solutions put patients in the driver’s seat in terms of data
One of the biggest hindrances to patient engagement is access. Many patients today don’t have access to their own medical records, except perhaps during an in-person visit, and this gets in the way of patient activation. Alternatively, access to this information can be a cumbersome affair that involves jumping many hoops.
However, virtual care solutions could solve this problem once and for all, more so in partnership with an RPM technology such as our very own UNICA. This is a personalized care manager that gives users ready access to health data. The user interface is easy to use and includes support for the majority of common chronic illnesses.
With close to 6 in 10 patients saying access to data hinders their engagement and a further 40% stating lack of access would make them switch healthcare providers, the significance of virtual health technology becomes more apparent. Patient engagement aside, patient satisfaction also goes up with this improved access.
2. Virtual care enables personalization which further improves satisfaction
Imagine two sets of patients. Both receive reminders and information about treatments and appointments via text. In one case, the patient receives personalized notifications with specific detail. In another, the patient receives generic information that he isn’t even sure is for him. Which patient is more likely to ditch their physician? Statistics indicate the latter patient is liking to jump ship and find a new healthcare partner.
So how do you personalize the patient experience? Well, it all starts with crafting a personalized care strategy, which can only take root with the right database setup. Digital healthcare solutions with such capabilities enable the crafting of bespoke care plans that take into account:
- Patient’s unique needs
- Their preferences in terms of treatment
- Other unique data points
3. Engagement improves as patients can easily contact their physicians
Approximately 5 in 10 people are on the hunt for a new physician, going by the findings of a survey by Everyday Health. It examined over 1,300 consumers, and it emerged that among the reasons for this is that most are not impressed by the ease of communication between themselves and their physicians. In particular, it revealed that 61% of consumers are looking for a doctor who’ll readily answer their questions and concerns.
It’s a statistic that’s sure to send chills down the spines of hospitals. But healthcare providers needn’t worry about it if they take the right steps to nip this problem in the bud. For example, through the provision of virtual care solutions to streamline communication, physicians can maintain an open line of communication and boost trust, transparency, and patient confidence.
Our virtual care technology here at Aura Health features a combination of audio-visual features. This enables an immersive solution for one-on-one communication between patients and their caregivers, the latter being able to have their concerns addressed as and when the need arises.
4. Satisfaction and engagement go up with virtual doctor appointments
In-person doctor appointments can kill patient satisfaction and may be the reason for a treatment plan veering off course. This piles up the inconvenience for the care recipient in the following ways:
- Time: In-person check-ins with doctors can take away loads of time from a patient’s schedule, more so in the case of a chronic illness that requires regular checkups
- Distance: For patients that live far away from their care provider, the geographical barrier can be a thorn in the foot
- Costs: Moreover, in-person appointments also attract travel expenses for the patients
All of these issues definitely kill satisfaction and can lead patients to consider switching providers to more conveniently located facilities. But by leveraging the help of virtual healthcare companies, all of these troubles can become a thing of the past.
While that’s not to say that in-person appointments should be avoided at all costs, however, augmenting with virtual visits can certainly offer relief for patients. Costs lower while time and distance barriers become a non-issue, and patients are ultimately pleased with their care provider because of it.
5. Virtual care automation ensures more quality time with patients
Doctors in today’s understaffed clinical workflows have to juggle many duties. From payment obligations to subject monitoring and data collection, there’s much that clogs their day beyond the actual care process. This can have patients feeling like they’re not getting as much attention as they deserve from their care provider.
Virtual healthcare solutions once more prove the savior in this regard. It allows doctors to spend more time with patients rather than with their data. For example, ourvirtual care technology and remote patient monitoring solutions here at Aura Health enable care providers to:
- Automate the payment process for facilities that turn to us
- Ease the work and strain on the physician’s part when it comes to patient onboarding
- Set reminders and notifications for patient vitals so that they get wind of adverse events as they creep in. This reduces the monitoring burden on clinical workers.
Ultimately, this means more time goes into the qualitative rather than the quantitative aspects of care. Physicians can therefore provide their patients with undivided attention without having to burn the candle at both ends.
Enhance engagement and satisfaction at your healthcare facility with virtual health
Would you like your patients to refer your practice to more of their families and friends? Are you eager to enhance the quality of your care process and patient outcomes? Is patient attrition impacting your hospital’s bottom line? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you need to tap into the power of a cutting-edge virtual care solutions provider soon as possible. Reach out to us for intelligent virtual care technology that will make your practice more profitable, convenient, and reputable. Contact us now.
is Aura’s proprietary digital healthcare platform
