A focus on improving the consumer experience and leveraging digital technologies as a foundation for enhancing that experience has been a modest priority for health systems. Recently, however, this focus has become an urgent strategic imperative. Providers note that consumers’ expectations of health care services are rising. They are watching with concern as new entrants, with well-developed digital capabilities — retailers, technology startups, companies based on new models of care, and pharmacies — step up to serve the increasingly demanding consumer. A recent Deloitte-Scottsdale Institute survey of health systems’ digital transformation initiatives found that 92% of health systems cited consumer satisfaction and engagement as a top goal of their investments.
Drawing from the impressive customer-oriented digital capabilities offered by financial services, retail, and travel companies, care providers now offer several mobile device-based digital services such as locating a doctor, renewing a prescription, supporting telehealth visits, accessing test results, scheduling an appointment, and paying your deductible. These offerings are the result of providers’ efforts to create what’s been dubbed in the industry a “digital front door”: using technology to improve patients’ experiences at every touchpoint in their journey — from finding a doctor to booking an appointment to obtaining any needed follow-up care. Read more
