Giving Patients Options is Key to a Welcoming Digital Front Door

In a recent discussion, “Fireside Spat: Diverse Paths to an Omnichannel Patient Experience” held at the CHIME Fall Forum, healthcare technology executives Adam Gold, CTO of CHOC Children’s Hospital, and Jeff Sturman, SVP/Chief Digital Information Officer, Memorial Healthcare System, delved into the complexities of advancing digital strategies in large health systems.

With a focus on how IT leaders can create cohesive, patient-centered digital experiences, they shared insights on the challenges and successes they’ve faced in deploying modern healthcare technology.

Opening the Digital Door for Patients

One of the core topics was the concept of the “digital front door,” a term increasingly used in healthcare to describe virtual entry points for patients. Gold and Sturman agree that digital front doors are about more than the technology; they’re about making access easy and convenient for patients.

Gold sees these digital touchpoints as opportunities to enhance patient engagement on their terms. “From a CTO’s perspective, I’m thinking about entry points for our patients and giving them different opportunities to engage at their comfort level,” he explained. This approach aims to allow patients to access care when and how they prefer, regardless of the specific technology used.

Sturman echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the importance of omnichannel engagement to meet patients’ diverse needs. “The idea that we’re just going to wait for consumers and patients to call us for an appointment—that’s old school,” he stated. His team focuses on proactive, multi-channel communication, which includes text, chat, automated bots, and phone calls, providing flexible options for patients.

EHR Systems: Enhancing or Hindering?

The role of EHRs in digital strategy sparked a spirited exchange between Gold and Sturman, whose organizations rely on different systems—Cerner at CHOC Children’s and Epic at Memorial Healthcare System. Both executives noted that while EHRs serve as foundational tools, they often require additional solutions to meet all operational needs.

Gold shared his challenges with Cerner, stating, “We uncovered many operational and technical issues as we dove into our digital strategy, and engaging with Cerner was a bit of a challenge.” He emphasized the importance of integrating other platforms to fill gaps left by their primary EHR, particularly as they work to build a comprehensive patient engagement ecosystem.

Sturman, who relies on Epic, acknowledged similar hurdles despite his preference for the platform. “There’s no silver bullet,” he said. “Epic’s a great tool set, but the industry’s moving so quickly that it doesn’t solve all needs all the time.” His team supplements Epic with specialized platforms like Talkdesk to address needs that Epic doesn’t fully meet, particularly in areas such as call center solutions and customer experience enhancements.

Tailoring Digital Strategies for Diverse Patient Populations

Another critical consideration discussed was tailoring digital tools to cater to diverse patient demographics. Sturman, whose organization serves both adults and children, illustrated this point with examples from his family, contrasting how his sons prefer digital communication channels while his elderly father still relies on traditional phone calls. “You have to engage those different populations in different ways,” he observed, noting that Memorial Healthcare serves patients speaking various languages, including Spanish and Haitian Creole, which adds layers of complexity.

Gold highlighted the importance of understanding the expectations of younger patients and their families, given CHOC Children’s focus on pediatric care. “In pediatrics, you tend to have a slightly younger demographic who has adopted technology more,” he noted, emphasizing that his younger patients and their families often expect the same level of digital convenience they experience in other aspects of their lives.

To bridge these differences, both executives stressed the role of marketing and education in increasing digital tool adoption. Sturman noted a concerted effort to promote MyChart, Epic’s patient portal, particularly in the pediatric population. “We’ve made a real push on MyChart, and now we’re seeing higher activation rates in our pediatric hospitals,” he shared, linking the success to better awareness campaigns and an emphasis on the platform’s value for families.

Navigating Organizational Culture and Physician Engagement

Successfully implementing digital solutions often comes down to organizational buy-in—a challenge both executives are tackling with varying levels of success. Gold pointed out that while CHOC Children’s didn’t face significant resistance from physicians, the operational staff required careful onboarding due to shifts in workflows. He believes education and clarity are key: “Helping them understand how this new technology is going to make their lives a little bit better—that’s the key.”

Sturman, on the other hand, noted some pushback from physicians in Memorial’s more extensive network, attributing it to cultural dynamics. “It’s culture more than anything. Our physician group is made up of specialists who are used to running their own practices,” he explained. This independence often complicates efforts to standardize digital practices across the organization, especially when it comes to messaging and scheduling integrations. His team is focusing on demonstrating how these tools can reduce “pajama time,” or after-hours work, for physicians by leveraging AI and automation.

Key Lessons and Future Directions

Reflecting on lessons learned, both Gold and Sturman advised that digital strategy in healthcare cannot be viewed as an IT initiative alone; it must be an organizational priority driven by cross-functional teams.

Sturman stressed the need for comprehensive governance and executive buy-in. “If we think IT leadership alone is going to drive this, that’s a really bad idea,” he said. Instead, he advocates for involving physician leaders, nursing staff, and operational managers. Gold concurred, emphasizing that IT leaders should see these projects as gateways for engagement rather than merely technology implementations. “What you’re building is a platform to engage patients, not just a piece of IT infrastructure,” he explained.

As they look to the future, both leaders are focusing on expanding their digital capabilities. For CHOC Children’s, Gold outlined plans to implement wayfinding solutions and “smart bots” that integrate seamlessly across platforms to improve patient navigation and streamline interactions. “We really want to develop a smart bot that’s a single source of truth, so patients have one place to go for all their information,” he said.

Sturman, meanwhile, is pushing Memorial Healthcare System to be more proactive, with outreach campaigns and community wellness initiatives designed to support patients before they need acute care. “We do such a great job with community events,” he noted. “So why aren’t we more focused on getting information out to help our patients stay well?”