Healthcare’s Real Challenge Isn’t Medicine – It’s the Experience

Ever tried booking a regular check-up without making a phone call? After all, you just visit the healthcare provider’s website and search for an online scheduling option. But what do you do if there’s no option to book online? Feels odd, right? Healthcare has advanced with technology in various ways. We have virtual consultations, remote health monitoring, concierge medicine software, and applications that track our physical activity and heart rates. However, when it comes to simple tasks such as scheduling an appointment or reviewing a bill, the entire system is decades behind.

Today’s patients are consumers accustomed to handling almost every aspect of their lives through their devices. They can arrange car repairs, purchase groceries, compare hotel rates, and oversee investments without making a phone call. Consequently, they anticipate that healthcare will function similarly. However, their expectations are not rooted in entitlement but rather in the reality of their limited time and hectic lifestyles.

The core challenge in healthcare goes beyond merely incorporating additional technology. It involves developing a seamless, interconnected, and helpful digital customer experience (digital CX). The goal is to design an experience that integrates smoothly into people’s lives.

Scheduling an Appointment Can Be as Difficult as a Full-Time Job

Picture this: you want to schedule a check-up for your child. You dial the pediatrician’s office and are put on hold for ten minutes before finally connecting with someone. After being transferred, you may have to wait once more. There’s also the chance that the call disconnects, forcing you to begin the process anew. Once you finally get a representative to assist you, you’re told that the soonest available appointment is six weeks away. Moreover, there’s uncertainty about whether your insurance will cover it.

Unfortunately, such experiences occur more frequently than they ought to. For starters, such an experience represents a lost chance. It conveys a quiet yet significant message: taking care of your health is challenging and requires considerable time. For individuals who are juggling work, family, this message might cause them to postpone seeking care, or even avoid it completely.

However, an enhanced digital customer experience can allow you to book an appointment online in less than two minutes. You can view available time slots, check your insurance eligibility automatically, and receive a confirmation message. A brief conversation with a live representative or an intelligent chatbot could also offer quick solutions in case of an inquiry.

Luckily, the necessary technology to achieve this is already available. The main difficulty lies in assembling it into an intuitive and straightforward platform for the patient.

Allow the System to Handle the Burden – Not the Individual

Individuals have varying communication preferences. Some favor phone conversations, while others opt for text messages. Others prefer using applications for all their needs, whereas some still value face-to-face interactions with a receptionist.

However, an effective digital customer experience adapts to individual needs rather than pushing everyone along the same route. It also adjusts to engage with users according to their specific circumstances. For example, it can send appointment reminders through text messages with a direct link to reschedule. It may also allow patients to upload their insurance details once and save the information for subsequent visits. Additionally, it might provide live chat assistance directly on the billing page, allowing patients to address payment inquiries instantly.

These adjustments aim to create functional and considerate systems that minimize time expenditure and lower stress levels. As such, healthcare organizations are continuously seeking collaboration with partners such as Sutherland Global. Rather than adding new technology to flawed processes, they assist in creating systems that operate smoothly.

The Digital Customer Experience is Not a Supplement

When the complexities of care become a hassle, individuals disengage from the system entirely. They skip appointments, postpone procedures, and defer preventive treatments. Eventually, this results in poorer outcomes for individual patients and public health.

One can easily overlook the significant influence that engaging with healthcare systems has on actual health results. However, a complicated and stressful appointment process leads to frustration and diminishes trust. Once that trust is lost, restoring it becomes quite challenging.

On the contrary, a well-considered digital customer experience strengthens the connection between patients and healthcare providers. It conveys the idea: “We appreciate your time. Our goal is to make your experience straightforward, transparent, and helpful.”

However, there’s no need to overhaul systems entirely. Incremental changes can lead to significant improvements. Healthcare practitioners can provide adaptable communication options, simplify form completion, and combine scheduling, billing, and support into a unified experience. As such, patients will adhere to treatments, attend preventive appointments, and take charge of their health.

Creating the Healthcare Experience Everyone Deserves

Enhancing the digital customer experience in healthcare isn’t about substituting human interaction with technology. Instead, it’s focused on eliminating obstacles that hinder access to care. It involves providing individuals with the resources they anticipate in all other aspects of their lives. These resources honor their time, preferences, and desire for transparency.

Simplifying appointment scheduling, updating an insurance card, changing a visit time, or resolving billing inquiries is not an”additional” service. It is fulfilling the fundamental expectation that healthcare should be accessible and efficient for all. Additionally, the medical field has achieved remarkable advancements in treatments, technologies, and therapies. It is now essential to apply that same level of innovation to enhance the patient experience. After all, effective healthcare begins when individuals engage compassionately.