Why patient digital engagement is the metric to monitor

Today, the average American leverages digital tools to help them shop, bank, travel and more. Yet, when it comes to interacting with healthcare practices, many patients still engage with clinicians via telephone or fax, said Paul Brient, chief product officer at athenahealth.

“Most of us are digitally engaged in most aspects of our lives, but healthcare is stuck in the 1970s,” he said. “Digital engagement technologies can help bring the healthcare system into the current era and help patients not only access the care they need but follow that care.”

Increased access and adherence

Supporting patient digital engagement leads to better access to care and better health outcomes. It also makes it easier for either patients or clinicians to follow up after in-person encounters to ensure patients are following specific medical recommendations correctly.

“Having an asynchronous channel of communication, through a patient portal or app, is more convenient for everyone,” said Brient. “It can remind the patient to pick up a maintenance medication if it was never filled. It can answer any questions that patients might have about what they need to do. It expands the horizon of communication and makes the experience better for everyone.”

Tracking patient digital engagement

Even when healthcare practices have existing tools, many interactions remain “analog.” But when digital engagement platforms have built-in metrics, according to Brient, clinicians can easily see how patients are interacting with their practice using online tools to assist them in tasks such as requesting a medication refill or paying a bill — and where they could make improvements to drive greater use and loyalty in the future.

“Digital engagement requires activation energy,” he said. “Having usage metrics allows you to see how people are engaging with your organization. You can use that information to spur that activation energy, because you’ll understand what patients need to know about what’s available to them.”

Reducing patient communication burdens with AI

Clinicians already spend too much “pajama time,” or hours after work that could be spent with family or relaxing, on administrative tasks — and many may fear that digital engagement will result in more after-hours patient communications. The addition of artificial intelligence (AI) to digital engagement tools, however, can actually reduce clinician burden, while allowing patients to engage when it is most convenient for them.

“There are now AI-type tools that can help manage those communications,” Brient noted. “Those tools can triage the questions for incoming staff, highlighting the really important communications, marking the ones that can wait a bit and even providing suggested responses.”

This kind of management is a benefit for both clinicians and patients, he pointed out. It ensures that patients are getting their questions answered in a timely fashion so they can follow their doctor’s recommendations. It also helps clinicians understand which patients may need urgent attention.

“It’s hard for patients to navigate the healthcare system. Once you’ve seen a doctor, your journey has only started,” said Brient. “But digital engagement tools can help patients be more informed about their care without putting extra burdens on clinicians. Everyone benefits.”