While the theme for this month’s article will be “patients” (keeping them, finding them, responding to their needs), I also want to share a resource that I have been enjoying for several days.
If you are having a stressful day, put a life size aquarium on your computer screen. The City of Pompano Beach just installed an underwater video camera at their fishing pier (https://www.pompanobeachfl.gov/webcams ) and when you find your stress level growing throughout the day, click over to the pier and see what our fish friends are doing to relieve their stress! Like you, many of them are also fighting the current!
The South Florida Hospital & Healthcare Association’s 18th Annual Healthcare Summit [Linda S. Quick Memorial Lecture Series] will be held on June 12th at the Charles F. Dodge City Center in Pembroke Pines. The sponsorship opportunities and registration link is https://www.sfhha.com/events-page/#!event/2024/6/12/sfhha-annual-healthcare-summit-the-linda-s-quick-lecture-series .
The theme of this year’s Summit is “Optimizing Patient Access,” and our moderators and panelists will be talking about the challenges that every healthcare provider has in convincing new and existing patients to purchase healthcare services from them.
Our opening keynote session will include Scott Wester, CEO, Memorial Healthcare System, Dr. Scott Ross, CMO/CEO Cleveland Clinic Weston, Melida Akiti, Corporate Transformation Executive, Broward Health, Alex Romillo, CEO, Health Choice Network, David Wagner, Market CEO, Florida Blue, and David Francis, Partner, BDO. These leaders will discuss how hospitals and other healthcare leaders are taking on non-traditional roles like improved community outcomes, preventive care, reduction of health disparities, and community health and well-being.
Meanwhile healthcare providers are working to improve patient satisfaction, remain fiscally viable by attracting more patients, and providing a broader range of services (thus increasing revenue streams), in addition to maintaining other traditional roles such as public health preparedness.
How providers are responding to these challenges are by streamlining appointment scheduling, extending operating hours, expanding telemedicine, community outreach and education, transportation assistance, culturally competent care, financial assistance, patient navigation services, utilization of technology, and monitoring and improving access metrics.
The Summit will also include breakout sessions such as “Tech Transformation: Optimizing Patient Access” and “Balancing Act: How Optimizing Patient Access in Healthcare Impact HR/Labor Challenges.” The Summit will end with a joint session entitled, “Financial Implications for Optimizing Patient Access.”
In this final session of the day, the discussion will revolve around the financial benefits associated with improved efficiency such as efficient scheduling systems leading to reduced appointment cancellations. Other improvements such as expanding hours of operation or shifting hours of operation to better mesh with patients’ work schedules, opportunities for upselling and cross-selling (identifying addition hospital services of treatments that may benefit patients), and expansion of referral networks as positive patient touchpoints increase.
Evidence of success in any of these areas will be demonstrated by reductions in lost revenue (appointment no-shows), patient volume improvements leading to increased revenue, operational efficiency leading to cost savings and increased revenue, increases in revenue per patient resulting from up- and cross-selling, and improved referral networks leading to increased revenue through consultations and procedures.
It will be a full day and we look forward to seeing everyone there!
