“It All Comes Down to Value”: CIOs Discuss Keys to Establishing a Digital Front Door

When Baptist Health first planned to migrate to a single EHR platform, one of the drivers was to create a unified patient portal. For the community, however, it seemed to fulfill the number one item on their wish list. The goal of setting up 30 percent of patients within the first year was quickly met — in fact, within six months, nearly two-thirds had not only logged in; they were actively engaging.

“It showed us how hungry the patients were for that seamless digital experience,” said Aaron Miri, SVP and Chief Digital & Information Officer, Baptist Health. “They were clamoring for it.”

It’s a prime example of the impact technology can have on patient experience — when it is implemented and leveraged correctly, and when it reflects the needs of the community.

“Regardless of your market, the consumerism aspect is critically important to understand, as well as how these patients want to engage,” he noted. “Hospitals have traditionally excelled in providing the Ritz-Carlton experience for in-person visits. Now we have to give them the Ritz-Carlton experience remotely. It’s an interesting proposition.”

During a recent panel discussion, Miri spoke along with Michael Saad (CIO, Munson Healthcare) and Joshua Titus (CEO, Gozio Health) about the challenges they’ve faced in providing a uniform digital front door experience, and the strategies they’ve applied to overcome them.

True digital front door

The first — and arguably most important — step in any patient engagement initiative is determining the needs of those who will be consuming it, noted Saad. “It all comes down to value for the patient and value for the health system.” For leaders, it’s important to avoid implementing solutions merely to check the ‘digital front door’ box, he said, adding that, “if patients aren’t using it, there’s no value.”

At Munson, where Saad recently joined as CIO, one item at the top of many patients’ wish lists was wayfinding. And while that may not be a typical starting point for digital transformation, it addressed a key need for the northern Michigan-based organization. “The value to the community is what you’re after, and every community is different,” he said. “We have consumers interacting and interfacing with the health system in a multitude of ways. If we’re truly talking about a digital front door, it needs to be welcoming, to add value, and to be something the community wants.”

Titus agreed, adding that, for some patients, open scheduling is the catalyst, while others might prioritize messaging capabilities. For leaders, knowing which features rank highest among which patient groups is paramount to devising a solid strategy. “If you want to engage people digitally, there isn’t one killer feature that everyone wants,” he said.

Finding a way

But there is often a burning platform. At Saad’s previous organization, The University of Tennessee Medical Center (where he held the CIO role for 7 years), it was a desire to more easily navigate the two and a half million square foot campus. “We heard a lot of feedback from our community that it was overwhelming,” said Saad. Not only was it frustrating for existing patients; it was potentially serving as a deterrent to future consumers.

After meeting with a handful of vendors, Saad’s former team contracted with Gozio to improve wayfinding. The relationship quickly expanded to include other forms of engagement, eventually becoming “a single point of contact between the community and the health system.”

Similarly, Baptist focused on wayfinding early on, implementing it first in a new tower and expanding it to all of its hospitals. And while something like internal maps may seem simplistic, it was what patients and families wanted, according to Miri. Through listening sessions, leadership learned that “folks were tired of getting lost,” he recounted. “People are trying everything to figure out how to navigate. For us, digital was where people were because they all have smartphones. And so, it’s been a tremendous win. And it’s been a tremendous partnership expanding those cases bit by bit. That’s a critical component of what the digital experience is all about.”

Dealing with resistance

Another important component is striking the right balance, said Saad, noting that providers might not share the same passion patients have for things like open scheduling. Although the technology has been in place for quite some time, the willingness to adopt it has not. “The functionality has been there. The challenge is working with providers and letting them know there is value to opening up your scheduling,” he said, adding that it’s critical to work with other C-suite leaders when deciding the best ways for patients and providers to interact. And if the consensus is to move toward open scheduling, it’s part of the CIO’s role to “help drive some of the conversations” on how it can benefit the organization as a whole.

Miri concurred, adding that one way to help drive that conversation is by laying out all the information. “I’m a big fan of showing all the cards; showing all the data.” At Baptist that proved pivotal in clearing up misgivings that providers would lose control of their calendars. “That’s not the case at all,” he said. Instead, “We’re finding synergies of appointment types and patient visit types,” and creating matches where possible.

And the more matches that are created, the higher the patient satisfaction rates, and the higher the level of confidence among physicians.

“Department by department, we’re showing the data. We’re showing wins. We’re letting physicians evangelize, ‘this worked for me. It didn’t mess up my schedule,’” said Miri. By being transparent and having “data-driven discussions,” initiatives can gain momentum organically and start to make an impact.

Steps for success

Of course, it’s also vital to ensure a solid foundation is in place, according to the panelists. Below, they shared best practices based on their own experiences.

• Good governance. It starts with creating a governance structure that allows hospitals and practices to “operate as one health system and not a collection of hospitals,” said Miri. “That’s step number one. Are you organizing the right way to make the decisions and facilitate? And once you’re organized, do you have the right personnel in the right roles? Are you going to start centralizing call centers, scheduling, and discharge planning? All of these conversations have to take place.”
• Map it out. Digital transformation is a journey, not a one-time solution. And a critical step in that journey is creating a roadmap indicating how the initiative will be funded and how it meshes with other priorities, Saad said. “You have to look at the big picture and say, ‘as an organization, what do we need? What does our community need? What do they value?’ You have to have that in mind as you move forward with this.”
• Technology can wait. Although technology plays a key role, it’s merely a component — and one that shouldn’t be introduced too early in the adoption cycle. Doing so, according to Miri, can lead to significant hurdles. “There’s a timing aspect that you, as a leader, have to understand.”
• Work it into the workflow. “It’s important to think about the engagement piece,” said Titus. Along with the clinician’s workflow, it’s also about how systems manifest and appear to the end user. “When we think about patients and visitors, quite often it’s not integrated directly into the clinical workflow.”
• Start small. While the temptation might be to ‘think big,’ the smarter move for leaders is to focus on proven tools that “actually solve a problem and provide value,” said Miri. “Don’t go off the shelf and say, ‘I’m going to buy this and this.’ It’s not a Toys ‘R Us shopping spree. You have to put in the work and build trust by doing simple things and building partnerships with your colleagues.”

Saad agreed, adding that the primary focus for any initiative should be value. “What is the core problem you’re trying to solve? What does your community need that you’re not providing today, and where does it fit into your roadmap and strategic priorities as an organization?” Marrying the two, he said, is where leaders play a key role.

The CIO’s responsibility, he noted, is “helping to educate and inform. And from there, make a collaborative decision with peers to say, ‘does that match our strategy as an organization?’ It’s about informing people and helping to lead those discussions.”

To view the archive of this webinar — Strategies for Moving Towards a Uniform Digital Front Door Experience (Sponsored by Gozio Health) — please click here.