October 14, 2024

Technology’s Growing Role in Improving the Patient Experience

Practically everywhere you look it seems there are new ways to use artificial intelligence (AI). As the media explodes with news about this exciting technology, it’s natural to wonder what its impact may be in healthcare. Some may worry that AI will eliminate the human touch in healthcare.

There’s good news on this front. AI and other emerging technology is helping many providers improve the patient experience. These technology solutions are making it easier than ever to understand and engage with patients in ways that are consistent and compassionate—while also empowering healthcare organizations and the people who work for them to achieve key business objectives.

“We’re looking at where we can use AI or technology so that we are able to allocate more resources to our actual patients and have those conversations that are needed in order to make sure that their experience . . . is one that they can appreciate or that they want to connect with again,” noted a healthcare leader during a recent Becker’s webinar that also featured several RevSpring senior leaders.

In addition to offloading tasks that free up staff to work with patients, AI-powered solutions improve the actual patient experience through personalization. Since you cannot tell what a patient’s preferences are just by looking at them, using artificial intelligence to analyze actual patient behavior is key to predicting the best engagement channels across the patient journey.

Beyond channels, intelligence-driven analysis now makes it possible to understand the unique care preferences and payment capabilities of every patient. There are proven benefits in consistently gathering, synthesizing and acting on patient behavior data and feedback. By understanding the digital preferences and care preferences for a particular person, hospitals and healthcare systems can leverage that knowledge at every patient touchpoint.

Respecting patient preferences on a consistent basis is a hallmark of leading healthcare organizations. This means consistent patient conversations at every stage in their healthcare journey, from preservice through episodes of care through final payment. Organizations that invest in technology to understand patients, instead of relying on outdated generational and socioeconomic stereotypes, make patients feel seen, known and respected.

Notes a senior patient experience officer at a respected children’s hospital, “It’s incredibly important to engage with patients and families to evaluate how they feel. It’s not the same for every patient. You must approach it from multiple angles, listen carefully and adapt your plans to address varying needs.”

Finding the right balance between technology and a personalized patient experience might seem challenging at first glance. But when you look closer, it becomes clear that AI makes the human experience better, more consistent and more empathetic. From improving patient communication to fostering more tailored payment options that fit specific patients, technology has an important and growing role in the ongoing effort to deliver the best patient experience possible—now and in the future!