Open the digital front door to a better patient experience

When Kate Milliken was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), one of the first things she did was reach out to family and friends via email from her hospital bed. This digital connection with loved ones helped her feel supported and enabled her to discuss her emotions around her diagnosis. She continues to rely on technology to connect with her doctors to discuss her care as well as to connect with other MS patients for support.

This is just one example of the way patients rely on digital solutions throughout their healthcare journey and how they can improve the patient experience.  These solutions can enable patients to email, text and stream on personal devices from their bedside, or while they wait to be seen. Digital care solutions can make it more convenient and affordable to seek care, while other technologies like digital patient intake solutions can reduce time spent on paperwork for both patients and physician practices. Additionally, a hospital's connectivity solutions can support telehealth, mobile imaging, interoperability and allow patients to have more control over their healthcare.

Patients also expect digital solutions to make it easier to access their healthcare data and manage their care. Nearly 40% of individuals nationwide accessed a patient portal in 2020, a 13% increase since 2014. Moreover, six out of ten of those who were offered a patient portal accessed it at least once in the year — and about one in five accessed their portal six or more times in 2020. Patient caregivers are accessing the portals as well. Those caring for aging parents, young children or other dependents who use portals reported many benefits, including better communication, higher patient satisfaction, agreement about treatments, and a better understanding of care management.

However, while all these bandwidth-intensive technologies offer many benefits to patient and healthcare practitioners alike, many practices are finding their current network is unable to handle the traffic required to support the technology.

Patients want digital healthcare tools
Just like in other areas of their lives, patients are looking to healthcare organizations to use digital technology to improve access, increase convenience and speed, lower costs and improve care while provide a better experience overall.

Wearable devices, internet of medical things (IoMT) devices and mobile app usage are helping both patients and providers gather data that lead to more accurate diagnoses, better treatment outcomes and lower cost of care.

In a Pew Research survey, 81% of adults said they supported increased access to health information for patients and providers. More than two-thirds of adults want their clinicians to exchange some health information such as advanced care plans or end-of-life preferences, images (such as X-rays) and family medical histories.

Yet, many physician practices are still behind in offering digital services that could significantly improve the patient experience. In one recent survey, nearly 50% of patients state that their doctor offered no digital services at all. And 64% of those surveyed said they would consider switching primary care doctors for better technology.

According to recent HIMSS Media and Spectrum Enterprise research, physician practices and healthcare organizations are aware of the need to implement more technology to improve the patient experience. Slow or unreliable networks can have a direct impact on the patient experience. Innovating to enhance the patient experience was considered a critical or high priority by 64% of respondents. They also recognized the importance of digital technology in attracting patients to their practice or health organization, as 58% indicated that innovating to gain market share/attract patients was a critical or high priority.

Practices need to upgrade the network to support a better patient experience
At Tomoka Eye Associates slow connectivity between different practice locations caused a bottleneck and threatened to negatively impact the patient experience. Tomoka realized that before they could derive value from digital tools, they first needed to invest in their legacy network. They began by replacing the aging T1 connections with an Ethernet Private LAN (EP-LAN). The Ethernet network speeds data transmission between locations so doctors can quickly check electronic medical records (EMRs) and add notes, freeing up more time to engage with patients. The billing staff saw a positive impact on cash flow: instead of an hour, it now takes minutes to pull files and determine reimbursement codes.

Improve patient experience by improving your network
Every second spent waiting to upload, download or transfer files can impact the patient experience. It can also impact your productivity and revenue. And the size and volume of data are only going to continue to grow. Between 2021 and 2026, the global big data healthcare market is expected to reach $44.53 billion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21.75%.

Having the connectivity infrastructure to support a range of digital technologies is paramount to being able to run your practice efficiently and effectively. According to a HIMSS research study, three out of four healthcare IT decision-makers say it’s a key enabler to their innovation and digital health initiatives. Moreover, 90%  work with a connectivity partner to help them best ascertain their connectivity needs— whether that’s data connectivity, cloud, voice, TV/video, or the need for managed network services.

Practices may already know what digital solutions are needed to improve the patient experience, but need to first ensure they have the digital infrastructure necessary to reach the full return on investments in digital solutions. And more importantly, make sure you have the right network to support a better patient and provider experience.

Contact Spectrum Enterprise today to begin to assess your digital infrastructure needs.