Patient demand for consumer-friendly tools is on the rise as Americans expect their healthcare providers to offer the same seamless experience as other industries like banking and retail.
Implementing self-booking software that allows patients to book their own appointments online is a key step in the right direction.Many health systems are trying to take this step, but a lack of support from doctors is preventing the technology from taking off, according to a report Report The Center for Connected Medicine, jointly run by Nokia and UPMC, was released on Wednesday.
UPMC senior vice president Dr. Joon Lee said if physicians want their patients to be satisfied with their care process, they should embrace the idea early. He noted that the demand for self-organizing tools — especially among millennials and Gen Z — far outstrips the number of self-organizing services currently offered by healthcare providers.
Some vendors that offer such software include Keona Health, happy health and next-generation healthcare.
For Dr. Lee, self-scheduling software not only addresses patient needs for a more consumer-friendly tool, but it also communicates respect for patient time.
“If you go back five or 10 years and ask what a really successful doctor looks like, you’ll think of a doctor with a waiting room full of patients,” he said. “What happened to that photo? It means you want each of these patients to give up their priorities and that their time is not as valuable as yours.”
Still, doctors are hesitant to buy the software. The Center for Connected Medicine report found that 38 percent of healthcare providers struggling to deploy self-scheduling tools cite lack of support from doctors or organizations as their top challenge.
A key reason for this may be doctors’ reluctance to relinquish control of their schedules.Dr. Patrick McGill, Chief Transformation Officer of the Indianapolis Community Health Network, Transformation Virtual Summit Hosted by LeanTaaS.he Say “There’s nothing more sacred in healthcare right now than a timeline.”
Dr. Lee believes that having software that is flexible and can adapt to individual provider needs and preferences will be key to winning over physicians.
“If we had concrete technology, my ability to change the culture between the vendor and the people running the office would be zero,” he said. “But if the technology is flexible and allows us to make changes in our day-to-day operations, that’s another story.”
Ensuring the adaptability of self-service scheduling software is critical as UPMC works toward its goal of completing 20 percent of organization-wide scheduling with online self-service tools by the end of the year. Dr Li admits the goal is lofty, but believes it is a necessary part of improving patient satisfaction.
Photo: shapecharge, Getty Images
