Access

Empathy in the C-suite: The Role of the CXO in Patient-Centric Healthcare

Eugene Scioscia, MD, chief experience officer for the Allegheny Health Network

As hospital systems have merged and grown over the years, so have the number of executives occupying their C-suites. The chief information officer (CIO) was a creation of the 1990s, as hospitals began relying on electronic medical records. A more recent admittee to the C-suite is the CXO, or chief experience officer. So, what is Read More

Improving Health Equity: A Framework for Sustainable Change

Whitney Haggerson, vice president of health equity at Providence

Getting access to care has been difficult in many parts of the country for years. Even in densely populated urban areas, a shortage of physicians and clinicians often made setting appointments for primary and specialty care a frustrating experience. And then 2020 hit. The COVID-19 pandemic intensified the staffing shortage and further restricted access. Today, Read More

What The Chief Experience Officer Brings to Hospital Systems

Ron Shinkman

While some are clinicians, many come from marketing/communications backgrounds. // By Ron Shinkman // As hospital systems have merged and grown over the years, so have the number of executives occupying their C-suites. The chief information officer (CIO) was a creation of the 1990s, as hospitals began relying on electronic medical records. A more recent Read More

Cleveland Clinic Reshapes Patient Access Through Process Improvement

lisa-yerian-squared

Continuous improvement of patient access is an enterprise-wide initiative, deeply embedded in and supported by the culture, and now reflected in every patient touchpoint, beginning with how patients start looking for care. Providing start-to-finish patient care — whether it’s scheduling a patient’s appointment with the right provider, providing directions to the care facility, or determining Read More

Health Care “Sherpas” Guide Patients Through Complex Care at Cleveland Clinic

Cheryl L. Serra

Continuous improvement of patient access is an enterprise-wide initiative, deeply embedded in and supported by the culture, and now reflected in every patient touchpoint, beginning with how patients start looking for care. // By Cheryl L. Serra // Providing start-to-finish patient care — whether it’s scheduling a patient’s appointment with the right provider, providing directions Read More

Healthcare Equality Index: How Does Your Health System Measure Up?

Tari Hanneman, director of the health and aging program at the HRC

The Healthcare Equality Index defines industry best practices for LGBTQ inclusion and recognizes progress achieved by health care organizations to reach their health equity goals. How does your health system measure up? Health care is a necessity. But not everyone has equal access to medical services, which can negatively impact a person’s long-term health outcomes. Read More

Health Equity and Access: Addressing a Challenge That Too Many People Don’t See

Alan Shoebridge, associate vice president of national communications at Providence

Providence commits significant financial resources and maps out specific actions to address health inequities. // By Alan Shoebridge // Getting access to care has been difficult in many parts of the country for years. Even in densely populated urban areas, a shortage of physicians and clinicians often made setting appointments for primary and specialty care Read More

Expand Your Virtual Care Options to Improve Access and Attract New Patients

Jeff Stewart, system director of strategic marketing, CHRISTUS Health

There are many ways to expand health care access through virtual care. When CHRISTUS Health launched its “On Demand Care” urgent care service in May 2022, some clinicians were concerned about visit erosion from the primary care provider patient base. That didn’t happen. “Our primary care physicians who were initially skeptical, as you can imagine, Read More

Virtual Care Stays True to the Brand at CHRISTUS Health

Jane Weber Brubaker

There are many options for expanding access through virtual care. CHRISTUS Health’s thoughtful approach is guided by its mission, and its recognized brand attracts new patients. // By Jane Weber Brubaker // When CHRISTUS Health launched its “On Demand Care” urgent care service in May 2022, some clinicians were concerned about visit erosion from the Read More

Acute Care Telehealth: A Lifeline for Struggling Hospitals?

Teresa Rincon, RN, PhD, FCCM, assistant professor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Graduate School of Nursing, and senior telehealth consultant with Blue Cirrus Consulting

Acute care telehealth expands access to care by connecting community hospitals with specialized experts, which helps to close gaps in knowledge and keep care local. When patients in a rural community get sick and need access to intensive care or specialized care, the typical small community hospital — if there is one — doesn’t have Read More

Expanding Access to Health Care in the Face of Provider Shortages

Cheryl L. Serra

By using technology and expanding the care team, Renown Health is increasing capacity and giving patients more ways to access health care. // By Cheryl L. Serra // Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno, Nevada is a 650-bed facility and the region’s only Level II Trauma Center. Renown serves over a million people across 100,000 Read More

Improving Access to Care: How Health Systems Can Overcome the Obstacles

Lindsay Resnick headshot

Assuring timely access to care — an individual’s ability to obtain health care services — has always challenged payers, providers, and without doubt, consumers. The industry’s constant back-and-forth blame game over cost and access must end. Customers are listening, and so are competitors. Recent market moves are making care more widely available than ever before. Read More

Acute Care Telehealth Expands Access in Community Hospitals

Jane Weber Brubaker

Telemedicine technology connects community hospitals with specialized experts, closing gaps in knowledge and keeping care local.  // By Jane Weber Brubaker // When patients in a rural community get sick and need access to intensive care or specialized care, the typical small community hospital — if there is one — doesn’t have experts on-site to Read More

Access Will Be Profitable — If Health Care Movers and Shakers Are Right

Access Will Be Profitable — If Health Care Movers and Shakers are Right

Retail providers are expanding, and health insurers are profiting, but timely access to needed care remains elusive for many. // By Lindsay R. Resnick, MHA // Assuring timely access to care — an individual’s ability to obtain health care services — has always challenged payers, providers, and without doubt, consumers. The industry’s constant back-and-forth blame Read More

Remote Patient Monitoring: Has the Tipping Point Arrived?

Chintan Prajapati is a Senior Solutions Architect at Apexon

Remote patient monitoring — inside and outside the four walls of a hospital, with real-time connections between patients and providers — offers benefits to both. During the pandemic, hospitals needed to efficiently provide care to more patients without compromising safety, doctor-patient engagement, quality of care delivery, and patient satisfaction. Higher consumer expectations, increased digitization, and Read More

How to Improve Outcomes and Exceed Patient Expectations with RPM and IoT

apexon-logo

Real-time connections between patients and providers — inside and outside the four walls of hospitals — offer benefits to both. What are the strategic implications? // By Chintan Prajapati // Higher consumer expectations, increased digitization, and the Covid-19 pandemic have all contributed to the trend toward monitoring patient health remotely. This new frontier has ushered Read More

UCSF Health Is Leveling Up for Digital Transformation

Aaron Neinstein, MD, vice president for digital health at UCSF Health

In most industries, digital transformation is more than a simple buzzword. It’s a connected experience for customers looking for access, convenience, on-demand service, and an expected good outcome. In health care, a two-plus-year pandemic accelerated the forces underlying these challenges, continuing to raise consumer expectations in an industry that historically struggles with real change for Read More

What is the Role of Marketing in Driving Growth for a Health Care Organization?

Sandra Mackey, Chief Marketing Officer, Bon Secours Mercy Health

“Growth means different things to different organizations at different times,” says Daniel Fell of Optum. “One thing is very clear, though. The role of marketing has never been more critical.” Here’s an excerpt from Fell’s new article: We recently turned to several leading health care marketers across the country, representing a variety of health care Read More

Level Up and Lead Your Organization to Digital Transformation

Sarah Sanders, chief marketing and brand experience officer at UCSF Health

University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) Health Creates a Coordinated Patient Experience with Persistent Cross-Functional Teamwork // By John Marzano // Incredible advances in health care over the past 20 years have dramatically improved patients’ outcomes and lives. Yet care remains difficult to access, expensive, inequitable, and falls short of consumer expectations despite advancements Read More

Why Health Systems Must Manage and Accelerate Growth Going Forward

“Growth is important for every organization,” says Daniel Fell of Optum. “Whether it’s for-profits or not-for-profits, start-ups or established market leaders, every business depends on some level of growth to succeed in the near term. Growth is also essential to long-term sustainability, especially when navigating dynamic markets and overcoming unforeseen market disruptions.” Here’s an excerpt Read More