Patient Engagement Is Crucial to Practice Growth

Patient engagement has become increasingly important in every healthcare organization, from hospitals to small medical practices. Today's future-forward healthcare organizations focus on a value-based approach, and patient engagement is critical in this new model. Deloitte's recent Global Health Care Outlook report states that medical practices and healthcare organizations are seeking cost-effective and innovative ways to deliver patient-centric, technology-enabled health care.

How does patient engagement help the future of healthcare organizations?

Healthcare providers must prioritize patient engagement to help their practices thrive. Here are five ways that patient engagement can help healthcare organizations and other medical practices.

Shared Responsibility

Patient engagement helps medical practices share the responsibility of care and healthcare management with the patient. Engaged patients are more likely to take responsibility for their health, attend annual physicals, comply with medical advice, and take prescriptions as directed.?

Better Health Outcomes

A key result of shared responsibility is improved health outcomes. With the movement toward outcome-based reimbursement and the effects of positive outcomes on patient satisfaction scores, providers have even more incentive to improve their patient engagement. In addition, medical practitioners can reduce the risk of negative patient experiences with effective communication and collaboration with the patient.

Increased Revenue

In addition to staying up-to-date with reimbursement policies, healthcare practices with high patient engagement may also benefit from increased revenue. As mentioned, patients are more likely to attend annual physicals, health screenings, and follow-up appointments, which result in billable services. Engaged patients are also less likely to miss appointments or cancel at the last minute, reducing providers' unbillable time.?

Improved reputation

Engaged patients are also more likely to respond positively to satisfaction surveys and review requests. A collection of positive online reviews can significantly impact a practice's ability to attract new patients. When prospective patients see positive reviews about your practice online, it's more likely that they will choose you as their next provider. In fact, according to survey data, around 43% of people are willing to go to an out-of-network provider who has positive online reviews.?

Increased Patient Retention Rate

Patient engagement increases patient retention rates, which is beneficial for a healthcare provider in the long run. Patients want to feel appreciated and valued by their healthcare provider. When patients are engaged, they are often happier about their overall care, making patient retention easier for the provider.

An Effective Patient Engagement Strategy

Patient engagement does not develop by chance. Health care providers and staff should develop and implement a strategy to enhance patient engagement. For example, a simplified approach could include:

1. Establish and promote a culture of teamwork

2. Create a clear and solid vision for patient engagement in your practice

3. Optimize the right technology tools or software?

4. Empower your patients to become collaborators in their care

5. Chart progress and be prepared to adapt and change

Fostering patient engagement takes discipline and dedication within your practice or group. Once you find your pace, you can fine-tune your patient engagement activities and reap the benefits.

Patient engagement software drives better outcomes and customized care.

Modern patients want simple and secure electronic communications. By integrating HIPAA-compliant patient engagement software like Curogram, you can help your practice enhance patient communication and improve the patient experience.