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Reinforcing Patient Confidence through the Availability of Digital-Led Health Services

Electronic patient access is crucial for healthcare institutions aiming to improve a comprehensive care strategy.

Establishing Confidence in Digital Healthcare for Patients through Accessibility
Establishing Confidence in Digital Healthcare for Patients through Accessibility

Reinforcing Patient Confidence through the Availability of Digital-Led Health Services

In the rapidly evolving digital landscape, healthcare providers that have yet to prioritize their digital presence are finding themselves lagging behind digital champions like the University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein (UKSH). The pandemic has brought about a significant shift in the way healthcare is delivered, with patient records now housed in various systems across multiple providers.

This fragmented digital communication process is causing inconvenience for patients, who are forced to navigate through multiple health platforms. However, the convenience of a one-stop shop solidifies trust and loyalty among patients, making a centralized digital patient access system a priority.

Digital patient access offers a single, centralized entry point for patients' healthcare needs, streamlining the process and improving the overall patient experience. This centralization also enables better engagement, data analytics, data-driven decision-making, and care management.

The transition to a single patient data platform can also reduce the need for in-person visits, making healthcare more accessible and less burdensome for patients. Telehealth use has increased 38 times from the pre-pandemic baseline, demonstrating the growing demand for digital healthcare solutions.

The benefits of digital patient access extend beyond convenience. It provides a centralized point of control for patient data, giving healthcare providers better data insight into their patients. This, in turn, allows providers with a centralized data platform to offer care recommendations based on a patient's full healthcare history.

The shift towards digital patient access is not just about convenience, but also about meeting patient demands. Providers are recognizing the value of enhancing their digital capabilities to keep up with patient expectations. This shift is likely to result in more mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity as IT integrations become a necessity.

Healthcare, on average, is one of the most digitally immature sectors. However, this is set to change as the industry sees more M&A activity and investments in technology to centralize information and integrate consumer-grade tools into the patient experience.

The goal of these investments is to deliver simpler remote digital experiences for both patients and providers. By reducing the need for in-person visits and offering more choice, convenience, and lower costs around healthcare needs, digital patient access can significantly improve the patient experience.

However, with the increased use of digital patient access, managing multiple identities for digital healthcare communications can become a challenge for patients. Continued investment in digital patient access is necessary to meet patient needs with a seamless, start-to-finish approach to healthcare.

In conclusion, the future of healthcare lies in digital patient access. By embracing this shift, healthcare providers can improve patient experiences, streamline operations, and meet the growing demands of the digital age.

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