Podcast Summary: The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström® | Episode #630

Title: Can Netflix, Delta, and Amazon Teach Us How to Improve the Patient Experience?
Guest: Adeline Ashley, Director of Customer Engagement at Sitecore
Release Date: January 27, 2025

Introduction

In Episode #630 of The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström®, host Greg Kihlström engages in a compelling conversation with Adeline Ashley, Director of Customer Engagement at Sitecore and author of the book Shop Stream: Transforming Patient Care in the Digital Age. The episode delves into innovative strategies for enhancing patient experiences in healthcare by drawing inspiration from consumer-centric industries such as Netflix, Amazon, and Delta Airlines.

Breaking Down the Healthcare Maze

[02:22] Adeline Ashley: "Experience from the ground up."

Greg introduces the central theme of the episode: reimagining the patient experience to make healthcare interactions as seamless and user-friendly as everyday consumer services. He poses a critical question: "If we can binge-watch our favorite shows with a click or have groceries delivered with a tap, why does navigating healthcare still feel like a maze?"

Adeline responds by emphasizing the need for healthcare organizations to adopt a patient-centric approach:

• Journey Mapping & Feedback Loops: Understanding patient needs through detailed journey mapping and continuous feedback to identify and eliminate friction points, such as simplifying appointment scheduling and form completion.

• Digital Front Door Strategy: Integrating patient touchpoints to ensure ease of use and accessibility across all digital channels.

Learning from Consumer Giants

[05:08] Adeline Ashley: "Patients are really consumers, and when you think about how they interact with Netflix and Delta, those experiences bring delight."

Adeline draws parallels between patient experiences and those provided by leading consumer brands. She recounts a personal story to illustrate the impact of seamless communication:

"[...] when I was at the restaurant, I got a notification on my phone and on my watch. That's like a Delta experience telling me that my luggage has made it to the plane."
– Adeline Ashley [05:27]

She advocates for healthcare systems to emulate the effortless and delightful interactions that consumers enjoy with brands like Netflix and Delta, ensuring that patient interactions with healthcare providers are as intuitive and reassuring.

Overcoming Barriers to Simplified Digital Experiences

[07:43] Adeline Ashley: "The healthcare industry is regulated, right. There's HIPAA compliance, and you need to make sure that you're respecting the privacy and safeguarding that information."

Adeline acknowledges the significant challenges healthcare organizations face, particularly regulatory compliance and legacy systems. She suggests:

• Collaborative Strategy: Working closely with regulatory agencies and stakeholders to implement HIPAA-compliant technologies.

• Adopting New Technologies: Leveraging modern, compliant technologies to enhance user-friendly experiences without compromising security.

• Cultural Shift: Overcoming resistance within organizations to embrace a patient-centric digital transformation.

The Role of AI in Enhancing Patient Experience

[09:16] Adeline Ashley: "You need to balance automation with a human touch. You can't just rely and say AI is going to handle everything."

Adeline explores the dual role of AI in healthcare:

• Efficiency and Automation: Utilizing AI for routine tasks like appointment reminders, symptom triaging, and data analysis to free up clinicians for more critical, high-value interactions.

• Maintaining Human Touch: Ensuring that AI serves as a support tool rather than a replacement for human empathy and personalized communication.

She emphasizes using AI as a "co-pilot" to enhance, not overshadow, the human elements essential to patient care.

Effective Communication to Reduce Patient Anxiety

[13:39] Adeline Ashley: "You need to be available in reaching and communicating via text, via emails, through portal messages, and tailoring all of those messages to the patient's preference."

Adeline underscores the importance of proactive and personalized communication strategies to alleviate patient anxiety:

• Omnichannel Strategy: Engaging patients through multiple channels—text, email, portal messages—based on their communication preferences.

• Consistency and Relevance: Ensuring that messages are consistent across channels and relevant to the patient's care plan, thereby building trust and reducing uncertainty.

Building Trust Through Technology

[15:17] Adeline Ashley: "Be transparent. You need to make sure that you have language on the site that states how you are using the data, clearly explain how that data is used."

Trust is a cornerstone of patient care. Adeline advises healthcare organizations to:

• Transparency: Clearly communicate how patient data is collected, used, and protected to foster trust.

• Security and Privacy: Prioritize the design of secure systems that safeguard patient information, making patients feel confident in the handling of their data.

• Personalization Without Creeping: Use data to provide relevant information without overstepping privacy boundaries, ensuring that personalization enhances the patient experience without feeling intrusive.

Measuring Success: Key Metrics in Patient Experience

[18:18] Adeline Ashley: "There are a lot of key metrics that need to be defined throughout the digital patient journey."

Adeline outlines essential metrics for assessing and improving patient experiences:

• Net Promoter Scores (NPS): Gauging patient satisfaction and likelihood to recommend the healthcare provider.

• Appointment Adherence: Tracking how effectively patients keep their appointments and correlating it with engagement levels.

• Digital Engagement Metrics: Monitoring patient interactions with portals, time spent on educational materials, and usage of telehealth services.

Case Study: Cleveland Clinic

"[Cleveland Clinic] uses digital dashboards to track metrics such as patient satisfaction scores, the NPS score, and telehealth engagements to drive quality and optimize appointment availability."
– Adeline Ashley [20:29]

This example illustrates how targeted metrics can lead to tangible improvements in care delivery and patient satisfaction.

Aligning Metrics with Patient Values

[22:15] Adeline Ashley: "In other industries, customer centric. It needs to be patient centric."

Adeline emphasizes the importance of ensuring that the metrics healthcare organizations prioritize genuinely reflect what patients value. She suggests:

• Patient-Centric Metrics: Focusing on what matters most to patients, such as feeling attended to and having their needs met, rather than solely organizational efficiencies like bed turnover rates.

• Feedback Loops: Continuously gathering and analyzing patient feedback to ensure that metrics align with patient experiences and expectations.

Staying Agile in Healthcare Roles

[23:32] Adeline Ashley: "I believe in embracing learning and making that always, you know, learn something new every day."

To maintain agility, Adeline recommends:

• Continuous Learning: Always seeking new knowledge and insights.

• Cross-Industry Inspiration: Drawing lessons from diverse industries to apply innovative solutions in healthcare.

• Feedback Loops: Regularly soliciting and incorporating feedback to refine strategies and approaches.

Conclusion

Greg and Adeline wrap up the discussion by reinforcing the pivotal role of agility, continuous learning, and patient-centric strategies in transforming healthcare experiences. Adeline's insights provide a roadmap for healthcare organizations aiming to enhance their digital interactions, build trust, and ultimately deliver superior patient care reminiscent of the seamless experiences offered by top consumer brands.

[24:31] Greg Kihlström: "Thank you so much for all your insights. I got one last question for you."

Additional Resources:

• Adeline Ashley's Book: Shop Stream: Transforming Patient Care in the Digital Age
• Sitecore: www.sitecore.com
• The Agile Brand Podcast: theagilebrand.com

This summary provides a comprehensive overview of Episode #630 of The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström®, capturing the essential discussions and insights shared by Adeline Ashley on enhancing patient experiences through digital transformation.