The Institute for Healthcare Improvement developed the IHI Triple Aim framework as an approach to optimizing our health care system. As the highest cost system in the world, health care in the US was also challenged by COVID-19 when it exposed our ability to effectively meet people’s individual social needs on health during a global pandemic.
Patient Experience [PX] was all but limited to a case by case basis as hospitals were dealing with everything from staffing shortages to enforcing restrictions on elective surgeries in an effort to comply with CDC guidelines and mitigate the soaring number of viral infections in their respective communities. The disruption also rippled through primary care, post-acute care, and home health as millions of Americans were now looking to virtual care to manage their health… or cut back on their meds due to economic and social concerns.
Health care needs to solve this problem and move forward in 2022 with the appropriate sequence of planned initiatives, and any efforts for a renewed focus on Population Health needs to begin with patient experience. More specifically, we need to first satisfy our ability to deliver an individual experience of care before patients will consistently engage and allow us to improve the health outcomes of a population and reduce the per capita cost.
The IHI Triple Aim:
1. Improve the patient experience.
2. Improve the health of populations.
3. Reduce the per capita cost.
People need to regain their trust in the health care system. The misinformation and missed opportunities to effectively vaccinate the country notwithstanding, trusting in the process has to happen for everything else to work the way it is designed. And this transformation will not be easy, but it has to start will all the little things while being mindful of all the small matters that create gaps in patient population data.
PX as a Pathway to Social Well-Being & Mental Health
To be part of the long-term solution, health care organizations need to contribute to the overall well-being of the community as part of their mission –– with compassion and a responsibility to care. Some innovative ways to address these needs should include:
Re-imagine Family Medicine and Primary Care.
The primary care physician is becoming the new gatekeeper for RPM/CCM, and health care organizations need to invest in re-imagining family medicine as an integrative solution and temper the trending patient behavior of substituting Urgent Care for Primary Care –– and losing the opportunity to create a lasting relationship as a result. This relationship people need to have with their primary care, including in-person and virtual visits, is the first step in building that trust with a provider that can help guide them through the system and refer them to specialists as needed.
Blend team-based continuity of care with better delivery and a focus on service.
People currently feel like they’re doing all the work to research everything from symptoms to treatments, only to get stuck with a bill they don’t understand. By establishing a stronger relationship at the primary care level (and everything from outpatient and home care), the system can properly facilitate access to specialists and care options within the network.
Reinforce the Framework.
Now is the time to begin initiatives that include patient experience as an area of focus. Winning people back puts an emphasis on delivering value, service and care at every touch point. Identify key areas for improvement that will provide the greatest yield (e.g., a new website, a more robust Telehealth platform, increased utility of your CRM, staff training and orientation, etc.), and look at every opportunity to reestablish a culture of teamwork and commitment to excellence.
Improving patient experience is a winning solution to almost any challenge, because patient loyalty and hope can prevail over the next unforeseen challenge. And not just as a differentiator for one organization, but as systemic solution that will enable us to renew focus on the Triple Aim.
Introspective
What is one thing you could be doing better to improve patient experience? Do you know how to measure it and steer the ship back on course to solving issues related to Population Health and reducing costs?