Five ways to promote patient engagement and value-based care simultaneously
Even well-intentioned healthcare providers may struggle to move the needle on value-based care delivery if they lack one essential element: Patient engagement.
What is patient engagement?
Patient engagement in healthcare is the idea that providers and patients work together to improve health. Providers obviously bring the clinical acumen, but patients must willingly participate in the journey to improve their own health as well. They must want to work in tandem with their providers to achieve better outcomes and live a healthier, happier life. That’s why a patient engagement plan that encompasses both clinical and financial patient engagement is so important. Keeping patients engaged both inside and outside of your medical practice helps you keep them healthy as well. In fact, there’s growing evidence demonstrating that people with higher patient activation (i.e., the knowledge, skills, and confidence to become actively engaged in their health care) have better health outcomes. Patient engagement solutions can help patients and providers derive maximum benefits of value-based care.
The connection between patient engagement and value-based care
Following are five ways medical practices can leverage patient engagement to promote value-based care:
1. Reduce barriers to access. Do you require patients to call during normal business hours and speak with someone to make an appointment, or can they self-request or schedule appointments 24/7 whenever it’s convenient for them? Value-based care is only possible when patients can access your medical practice easily and get the care they need when they need it.
2. Make it easy for patients to ask questions. Not all patients will want to call the medical practice when questions come up. For example, they might want clarification on how and when to take a prescription medication. Or perhaps they want to know whether a new symptom warrants an in-person visit. In some cases, patients may have simply forgotten to ask a question during their visit, or they may not have felt comfortable bringing up a particularly sensitive issue. Do you provide secure messaging to make it easier for these patients to reach providers and staff? Giving patients more than one way to ask questions (e.g., the phone and the patient portal) may prevent them from making costly medication errors or going to the emergency department unnecessarily. The goal? Lower costs. Here’s a handy fact sheet that explains how providers can use secure messaging to support patient and family engagement in value-based care delivery.
3. Arm patients with resources. Patient education doesn’t just happen during an in-person encounter. It’s an around-the-clock endeavor. That’s why it’s important to provide patient-centered resources so patients can find answers to medical questions, research their prescriptions and diagnoses, and learn about health and wellness. However, to prevent misinformation, medical practices need to provide resources from an official, accurate source (e.g., Medline, the U.S. National Library of Medicine® premier bibliographic database). In an era of value-based care delivery, patient resources aren’t a ‘nice to have;’ they’re a ‘must have.’ An educated patient is an engaged patient, and that’s what the industry is aiming for with value-based care.
4. Provide access to personal health information. Patient engagement in healthcare is also about giving patients access to their own health information (e.g., allergies, medications, medical history, lab results, and other health documents) so they can coordinate care and better understand their overall health picture. This principle is the foundation of value-based care. Ensure your electronic health record (EHR) provides this capability.
5. Make it easy for patients to pay. Let’s face it. If it’s super hard for patients to pay their healthcare bill, they probably won’t want to come to your practice to begin with. We’re talking about convoluted paper statements sent months after the visit or the requirement to pay by mail. Instead, ensure your medical billing process makes it simple to send patient statements via mail, email, and text message. Then provide the option to pay online.
Conclusion
The patient experience, both clinical and financial, is more important today than ever before, and it affects a provider’s ability to render value-based care. Patient engagement and value-based care truly do go hand in hand. It takes a team and collaborative effort to realize the benefits of value-based care. What is your patient engagement plan? Learn how edgeMED can help and be sure to check the Healthy Snacks blog for more expert insights, best practices and industry trends.
