Drew Veach, Senior Account Manager at BizStream, and Sean Wright, Lead Product Evangelist at Kentico, recently joined Sway.Health to discuss the unique hurdles healthcare organizations face in building a consistent patient experience across websites, apps, and social media. They also shared actionable strategies for healthcare organization who want to start the year off with meaningful progress towards a more desirable experience.

Key Takeaways

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2. Consistency Builds Trust. Ensuring consistent information across all digital touchpoints—like websites, apps, and social media—prevents patient confusion and fosters trust.
   
3. Personalization Within Privacy Limits. Healthcare organizations can personalize patient experiences effectively while respecting HIPAA regulations by focusing on audience needs and using appropriate tools.
   
4. Patient-Centered Experiences Matter. A harmonious digital journey ensures patients feel informed, supported, and confident in their healthcare choices.
   

Both Wright and Veach highlighted the necessity of harmonizing digital touchpoints to ensure patients feel supported and informed at every stage of their journey.

Wright noted the importance of information consistency for patients: “If a patient encounters different information, such as mismatched addresses or phone numbers across channels, it erodes trust and confidence in the healthcare provider.”

Veach agreed and emphasized the need for consistency in the user interface for patients: “Patients shouldn’t have to guess where to go or how to find information. A consistent and accessible user interface is key.”

What Wright and Veach are pointing to a “consumer truth” that is often overlooked: if an organization cannot handle information about me in an effective and efficient manner, how confident will I be that they will treat me in an effective and efficient manner?

Imagine calling two departments within the same hospital and getting different phone numbers for the same clinic – it is frustrating for patients and hints that the organization is not coordinated.

During the conversation, Veach and Wright offered several simple and effective strategies that healthcare organizations can use to improve patient experiences without breaking the bank:

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• Personalize where possible, such as pre-filling forms based on patient log in information or sorting physicians by proximity.
  
• Choose platforms that integrate with legacy systems to streamline workflows and avoid information duplication.
  
• Make user interfaces accessible with responsive design, multi-language support, and clear navigation. There are many online resources that can guide the creation of good user interfaces, like the US ADA Guidelines.
  
• Prioritize high-impact upgrades like improved search functionality over aesthetic changes.
  

“It’s about understanding your audience and prioritizing their needs,” said Veach.

Ready to improve your patient engagement in 2025? Veach and Wright suggest starting with an audit of your digital channels for consistency and identifying the upgrades that matter most to patients.

Learn more about BizStream at https://www.bizstream.com/

Learn more about Kentico at https://www.kentico.com/

BizStream and Kentico were sponsors of Swaay.Health LIVE 2024.