Improving The Patient Experience Through Technology

As patients become more digitally savvy from their experiences in the marketplace, they’re applying those expectations to healthcare too. Make no mistake. Patients are consumers. And there are real ramifications to hospitals when patients aren’t satisfied. This shows up in HCAHPS scores, stemming from results of the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey. This national survey serves as a measuring stick for Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement, which is partly based on this survey from patients’ perception of the quality of their care during their hospital stay. With this, one would expect patients to report that technology influences their HCAPS scores. We believe technology is a key enabler of patient satisfaction, but there’s a disconnect because the patient may not see the background technology that leads to operational improvements that impact patient satisfaction across their care journey. The ability for caregivers to bring portable medical devices for monitoring, scanning and lab work contributes to the patient’s overall experience.