Why Patient Engagement is a Top Priority for 2022

Overview

2022 is the perfect year to bounce back from the challenges brought by the  COVID-19 virus. As a healthcare provider, your focus should be on patient engagement and how to make it work this year. If you looked back two years ago, you'd notice many significant changes in the healthcare system. There was a sudden drop in patient engagement because of multiple factors like travel restrictions, lockdowns, etc.

In that aspect, the healthcare system adapted to the challenges. They found ways to rekindle patient engagement through virtual healthcare services. Modern technology and the internet provided a way for providers to extend their services amidst the chaos brought by the pandemic. As a result, many patients have started to rely on the internet to gather information about their healthcare needs. 

Now is the time to prioritize patient engagement trends using the virtual world. So, if you want your practice to survive this year with flying colors, continue reading below.

What is Patient Engagement?

Patient engagement is the collaboration of providers and their patients in making decisions about managing health conditions. Patients are part of the decision-making process regarding the options for how they are treated. Before, doctors provided information and treatment options to patients with minimal interaction. But with patient engagement, the patients' suggestions become relevant to the overall results. 

Why Does Patient Engagement Matter in 2022?

The healthcare system suffered significant losses because of the global pandemic. Patient engagement was reduced because of limited communication and interaction. However, most healthcare providers switched to a new medium to improve patient engagement. These mediums are telehealth and virtual monitoring.

Modern technology and the internet paved the way for providers to rekindle patient engagement in more ways than one. They managed to involve patients by allowing them to gather the relevant health information they needed over the internet. 

As a provider, you can:

• Improve brand exposure
• Schedule online or in-clinic appointments easily
• Provide relevant info about your services
• Establish trust and reliability
• Attract and retain more patients

Prioritizing patient engagement allows your practice to benefit dramatically. If you start utilizing the internet and modern technology, you can keep your practice's relevance in 2022 and beyond. Take advantage of today's healthcare trends in enhancing patient engagement. 

Key Factors to Consider

There are two factors to consider if you want to improve patient engagement. These are the patient-centric approach and patient experience. We'll explain their roles in patient engagement below.

Patient-Centric Approach

Improving patient engagement means giving your patients a chance to get involved in how they want to be treated. The patient-centric approach allows your patients to be a part of the decision-making process in managing their symptoms and illnesses. It patches the disconnect between patients and physicians. 

Patient Experience

The patient experience refers to the overall interactions of the patients with the healthcare provider. This includes the following, whether online or in-clinic:

• Initial inquiry
• Diagnosis
• Treatment
• Hospitalization
• Billing
• Follow-up checkups

Patient satisfaction is not all that matters in the patient experience. You have to keep them engaged and motivated with your services. Remember to balance the quality of care and convenience.

Now that you know the importance of patient engagement in your practice let's talk about its benefits.

The Benefits of Patient Engagement

Why is patient engagement important? Studies say that an enhanced patient engagement approach impacts patient outcomes and healthcare costs positively. 

Here are the facts from the study:

• Lower ER visits: 2.6%
• Inpatient admissions: 12.5% lower
• Surgeries: 9.9% lower 
• Lower heart surgeries: 10.9%
• Total medical costs: 5.3% lower

Investing in your practice's patient engagement improves your patient's self-care. They become more active in managing their health with your help. Here is a list of the benefits:

• Decrease your no-show rates
• Improved patient retention rate
• Timely appointment scheduling that saves time and money
• Improved appointment scheduling
• Optimized visits to accommodate more patients

How to Improve Patient Engagement

Here are a few tricks to help improve your patient engagement.

Tip Number 1

Identify a common condition within your patient groups. Once done, provide additional help to these individuals, and don't forget to keep them involved in the entire process. 

Tip Number 2

Build a support team to handle the group you've identified in tip number one. These individuals may include clinicians, virtual medical assistants, and medical billers. Make sure that they improve your patients' overall experience. It creates a sense of trust for your target group. It also enhances your practice's reliability. 

Tip Number 3

Provide a reliable communication platform for your support and patient groups. Your goal is to enhance their communication that is easy to use and accessible anytime. 

Tip Number 4

Use social media as your platform to engage potential and old patients. Social media is a powerful communication tool that connects people in more ways than one. You can quickly post relevant info about your services, service announcements, clinic hours, and more to your target audience. 

Partner with DrCatalyst

At DrCatalyst, we understand the significance of patient engagement. Our goal is to help keep your practice relevant in 2022 and beyond. We offer top-notch website services designed to keep your patients engaged. In addition, our social media team can help your practice tap into its true potential. 

Here's what we can do for you:

• Reach more people by posting relevant health topics on multiple social media platforms.
• Keep you on top of google search rankings to keep your practice's relevance in the healthcare industry.
• Establish your practice's reliability by posting factual information regularly.
• Keep and acquire new patients with ease. 

Click on this link to schedule a free consult with our team.