By Jay Juffre

In my line of work, I can see firsthand what many of the leading healthcare providers are doing to continuously improve patient care and satisfaction. I thought it might be interesting to unpack some of these this month as we are about to enter the second half of 2024. It is important to realize that there are also pitfalls to each of these and if there is not a thoughtful plan behind them, it may have the opposite impact on patients and their families. Let’s start with Telemedicine. Nearly every top health system in the country is offering and embracing this.

The big question is why? Before instantly jumping to reducing costs (which certainly is a benefit), think about the ease and convenience for the patient. They can quickly connect with healthcare professionals and receive great care. It is important to ensure that the staff is great at interacting with the patient virtually. Bedside manners can take on a whole new definition in this case. It is also important for your team to recognize when a patient needs to come in. Despite the convenience and ability to access care remotely, sometimes nothing can replace in person examination and testing. Key is to balance the two.

Another trend that is creatively driving patient care is the idea of Personalized Medicine. Health Systems today are utilizing genetic testing to offer personalized treatment specifically tailored to that patient’s unique needs – talk about elevated patient care. This process makes somebody feel like a person and not a number.

The key here is to educate and inform the patient about how this new science works and the benefits your organization can provide for their total health. The key to technological and scientific advances is to always bring it back to what and how the patient can benefit. All too often healthcare providers march forward with the latest and greatest without first making their staff experts and then highlighting the why for their teams and more importantly, the patient. More benchmarking insights to come next month.

Jay Juffre is Executive Vice President, Total Customer Experience, ImageFIRST. For more information on ImageFIRST, call 1-800-932-7472 or visit www.imagefirst.com.