New patient preferences report: What do consumers value most in their digital care experience?

Patients want more control over their healthcare experience, and they want that to happen digitally—those were the primary findings from KLAS Research’s newest report, Patient Perspectives on Patient Engagement Technology 2022. However, large gaps exist between consumer expectations and what a majority of health systems are currently offering, leaving the door open to strong declines in patient volumes.

In fact, as more direct-to-consumer care options come to market, making strong plays for low-acuity patients, health systems have entered into a make-or-break period, requiring leaders to move towards a digital-first, hybrid care model or risk significant loss of revenue. According to the KLAS report, functionalities like automation could be the answer to consumer digital demands, while also streamlining workflows for an already stressed workforce.

Consumer desire for a better digital front door

A patient’s pre-visit experience ranked high on the list of importance when it comes to their digital care experience, according to the report. Respondents who felt either neutral or dissatisfied with their experience said more preparedness was needed before they met with a provider. 

Navigate by Bright.md is our version of a digital front door, which begins the patient’s care journey by asking them a question about their symptoms and directing them to recommended care options to get care, configured by the system. In our asynchronous telehealth platform, our clinical interview is different from typical “stock” interviews seen in other solutions and instead mimics the history-taking conversation and flow that happens in an in-person encounter. Bright.md’s built-in logic allows for every patient path to be unique and dynamic while gathering all necessary information to inform the provider ahead of time. As a result, clinicians are better supported and prepared to make an accurate diagnosis.

Automation for enhanced patient engagement 

As recommended by the authors of the KLAS report, health systems should be looking at new and different technologies that address patient engagement to maintain volumes and downstream revenue. Automation, they write, can ultimately make a significant impact on both attracting and retaining patients, by addressing the core needs survey respondents described. 

For instance, patients’ ability to find and receive care easily is at the top of the list, with convenience and digital access the most important. The automation found in Bright.md’s digital front door solution Navigate directly addresses these needs. 

Furthermore, KLAS authors note automation can bolster virtual care while also allowing for multi-modal communication. In fact, one recommendation made in the report was for executives to consider solutions that automate access to information, while providing “simple” communication options for both patients and providers.

Bright.md’s asynchronous clinical interview is evidence-based and modeled off a branching logic that doctors use when evaluating and treating patients, making it a quality, easy, and personalized experience for patients. Accessibility and simplicity are also core to our approach; our asynchronous interviews are available in English or Spanish with medically-certified translation, while our clinical content is created at a fourth-grade reading level, removing medical jargon and using images as easy guides.

On the provider’s end, Bright.md has a critical role to play in clinical decision support and driving efficiencies. Our solution was designed to help increase the capacity of existing clinical teams, while eliminating up to 90 percent of their administrative work. We do this by automating chart notes in SOAP format, after-visit summaries, treatment plans, prescriptions, and more. Because of our integrations with EHRs, along with other digital health products within the overall care experience, Bright.md helps streamline providers’ existing workflows—so clinicians can focus on practicing at the top of their license, without feeling burdened by digital tools.  

“Once a patient completes their interview, our platform uses that information to generate a chart note for the provider to review. Included in that chart note is all the necessary information for clinical decision making, including a thorough history of present illness report, self-guided physical exam components, current medications, medication allergies, a medication contraindication review, pregnancy/breastfeeding/menstruation status when appropriate, past medical history, and social history,” said Dr. Christina Chen, Bright.md’s Medical Director. 

“Bright.md also presents the provider with a most-likely diagnosis based on the patient’s interview responses, as well as the evidence-based treatment options for that diagnosis. The provider is free to change that diagnosis as they see fit, and if they do, the evidence-based treatment options will change as well.”

Themes around patient wants and desires in 2022 boil down to digital options, convenience, and automation. And as the landscape continues to shift to more of a consumer mindset—combined with economic strain—health systems can’t afford to not consider solutions that not only automate the care journey, but truly enhance the quality of every encounter for both patients and providers.

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