Healthcare organizations can address 4 specific failures with affordable patient engagement technology

The Commonwealth Fund recently reported that healthcare in the U.S. ranks last among 11 high-income countries, based on five domains: access to care, care process, administrative efficiency, equity and health outcomes.

Among the many failures and challenges highlighted, four have great potential for improvement, using available, affordable technologies to educate and engage healthcare consumers to be full partners in their care.

Patient Education & Innovative Communication Strategies Drive Success

At UbiCare, we often refer to research showing that medical care has only a 10% – 20%  influence on health outcomes, while patient behaviors and self-care have a 40% – 50% influence. With healthcare providers increasingly pressured to shorten hospital stays and reduce office-visit time, how do you increase the influence a hospital, health system or medical practice has on improving health outcomes outside the hospital or medical office?

Melanie Iannace, Muskuloskeletal Service Coordinator at AtlantiCare joined me recently to tell a  success story in which AtlantiCare and UbiCare collaborated to target health literacy and patient engagement.

The Star Ratings Debate

I was honored to represent UbiCare at the 2019 American Hospital Association Leadership Summit in San Diego. I really enjoyed the chance to make connections and to share our work with so many healthcare innovators and leaders.

The sessions and keynotes at the Summit this year were powerful, focusing on the common theme of disrupting and transforming healthcare. Hospitals are being pushed to consider their future roles as they move toward value-based care —and the work involved in preventative healthcare.

How can hospitals take a calculated leap to innovations that respond to immediate care and cost needs, while also laying the groundwork for preventative healthcare and continued growth? What should the role of hospitals be to best meet the needs of the communities they serve? Read on for some takeaways from the conference that focus on these questions and the direction of healthcare.