Is technology the answer to improving consumers’ healthcare experience?

Healthcare has a customer experience problem. In fact, a simple Google search will return articles with numerous statistics on this topic. The results range anywhere from around 50% to a staggering 80% of consumers being less than pleased with their experience when it comes to interacting with healthcare providers.

Fragmented health systems with inefficient and complicated processes amplify this negative experience. Add to this the rising expectations from consumers around their desire to access healthcare in a way that suits them and it all points towards this long-standing reality being ripe for disruption by innovative technology.

By putting consumers at the centre of healthcare delivery and empowering them to navigate disjointed, complex health systems, a digital front door promises to address the challenges facing today’s healthcare organisations.

Simplifying healthcare

The healthcare industry is diverse, reflecting the complexity of the human body itself. In any geographic region, many providers offer care aligned to their area of expertise or specialty.

As health systems have evolved, they have become more and more fragmented, making them overwhelming and complicated for individuals who are caring not only for themselves, but also their dependents.

The adoption of technology such as patient portals and telehealth platforms has provided people with more options when it comes to managing their healthcare, but this technology is still generally adopted in silos. Patients and their caregivers must look in multiple places in order to book appointments with different providers, and log into several different web or mobile apps to view their health records.

Fragmentation makes it confusing for consumers to understand the best place to turn when they need to access healthcare due to the right information not being easily and readily available. This can result in misuse of services, such as emergency departments, wasting valuable resources and putting pressure on already strained systems.

The digital health front door

A digital front door solution integrates a suite of tools which allows organisations to use systems already in place and adopted. It enables consumers to interact with the health system in a more efficient, cohesive and convenient manner, with everything they need to manage their health and wellbeing at their fingertips.

The healthcare digital front door promises to be digital health’s next big transformation, and a valuable tool in the journey to radically improving your experience as a patient or caregiver.

Read more about Digital health’s next big transformation: The shift to healthcare, anywhere in our latest whitepaper.