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How Providers Can Support Increased Consumerism in Healthcare

By enabling patients to use a suite of digital self-service tools, providers can increasingly meet the change expectations of healthcare consumers.

Today's healthcare consumers are seeking a healthcare experience that mirrors the convenience and ease they encounter in other aspects of their daily lives, such as in retail and banking. The pandemic has only served to reinforce these expectations. Healthcare organizations need to focus on ensuring patient interactions are increasingly digital and be aware of their patients’ evolving expectations.

Increased utilization of patient portals, texting, and virtual care during a public health emergency has forced providers to rethink their patient engagement efforts. By expanding their digital front door and online suite of services, healthcare organizations can meet patients where they are and foster a more positive patient experience that translates into increased patient activation and satisfaction.

Simple steps such as offering patients the ability to complete forms, schedule appointments, pay bills, and complete other tasks online are obvious starting points which can pave the way for more robust digital engagement in the future. In cutting paper and pain points from core processes – from patient intake to collections — organizations can streamline operations.

Once perceived as a nice-to-have, health systems, hospitals, and physician practices now realize the importance of supporting a digital front door that meets the needs of healthcare consumers and allows for more meaningful interactions between patients and providers.

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Interlace Health lives at the intersection of the relationships, environments, and experiences at the heart of modern healthcare. We are a solutions company who transforms workflows by enabling seamless data capture and information exchange among providers, staff, and patients. Our clients increase operational efficiencies, reduce overhead, and improve staff and patient satisfaction.

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