Amplifying Patient Voices in Healthcare Decision-Making

With the healthcare industry becoming more consumer-centric, providers face the challenge of aligning their operations with patients' real needs. Addressing patient engagement requires a multifaceted approach that involves patients in their healthcare journey, fosters shared decision-making, and enhances the overall patient experience. How can organizations ensure that their digital solutions genuinely benefit those they aim to serve?

Adam Cherrington, Vice President of Digital Health and Patient Voice at KLAS Research, a healthcare IT research firm focused on improving healthcare technology and services by evaluating vendor performance. With over 12 years at KLAS, Adam has championed initiatives prioritizing patient engagement and alignment between healthcare providers and technology vendors. His work led to the development of the KLAS Patient Voice Collaborative, which amplifies patient perspectives to inform healthcare solutions. He illustrates the significant discrepancies between what healthcare providers and vendors offer versus what patients prioritize. By amplifying patient voices, KLAS Research helps healthcare organizations identify and bridge these gaps, ultimately enhancing patient-centered care.

In this episode of For the Better, Ben Cash interviews Adam Cherrington, Vice President of Digital Health and Patient Voice at KLAS Research, about fostering patient-centered healthcare technology. Adam highlights the importance and impact of genuinely listening to patients, the necessity of overcoming traditional silos, driving organizational change through data-informed decisions, and how to utilize technology effectively within a structured change management framework.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[1:21] Adam Cherrington highlights the mission behind KLAS Research and its impact
[3:03] The inception and objectives of the Patient Voice Collaborative
[7:43] Pivotal findings from KLAS's recent patient experience research
[11:18] Addressing the disparity in patient technology experiences among health organizations
[12:14] How traditional assumptions about older patients and technology usage are changing
[16:36] How KLAS unites patients, providers, and vendors for cohesive healthcare solutions
[19:46] Adam’s views on the future of consumer trends in healthcare
[22:53] Practical steps to integrate the patient voice into healthcare marketing
[27:53] Adam highlights must-read healthcare industry resources

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Quotable moments:

"It's an oxymoron to call it patient engagement and not involve the patient."
"If you listen to patients and give them what they need, you will address multiple outcomes."
"Can you imagine rolling out a product outside of healthcare and not interviewing one customer?"
"Are we truly doing this because patients can benefit, or is this how we've always done it?"
"Patients are comfortable with technology, but there's wide variation on how it encourages them to participate in their care."

Action Steps:

Engage with patients directly: Actively involve patients in decision-making by conducting interviews or surveys to gather their insights and feedback. This approach directly addresses the challenge of aligning healthcare services with patient needs.
Prioritize self-scheduling solutions: Implement and enhance self-scheduling technologies to meet the patients' high demand for more convenient and flexible healthcare access. This effectively tackles the gap in service offerings identified in the episode, ensuring that healthcare systems are responsive to patient preferences for ease of access.
Focus on change management: Integrate change management principles when introducing new technologies or processes to ensure successful adoption and utilization. Addressing the organizational and cultural shifts necessary for technology implementation helps overcome the common pitfall of relying solely on technology to solve healthcare challenges.
Break down silos in healthcare: Foster collaboration across different stakeholders in the healthcare ecosystem, including patients, providers, and vendors, to ensure a holistic approach to healthcare solutions. This step addresses the issue of silos in healthcare that can hinder effective service delivery and innovation.
Leverage data for decision-making: Use data-driven insights to inform strategic decisions and prioritize initiatives that align with patient needs and organizational goals. Sharing these insights with leadership can help address the disconnect between decision-makers and patient experiences.

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