DOING BUSINESS
systems have the potential to fill this need; if done correctly, the benefits will be tremendous.
Buyer Beware Vendors want to say they are in the patient
engagement business, and
facilities want to demonstrate that they are putting processes in place to better engage patients. It is easy to get caught up in the hype and buy a solution sim- ply to “get on board.” It is important that centers do their research and understand what they want out of patient engagement sys- tems because the market offers a lot of systems that make all kinds of claims. Consider the following when buying a patient engagement system. ■
ASCs deliver care in a fast-paced, cost-conscious environment. Labor- intensive and expensive systems bet-
■
ter suited for a hospital environment simply won’t work in a busy ASC.
■
A patient engagement system is not just a digital way of delivering a common set of instructions to every patient. The technology should allow centers to individualize care, at some level, for each and every patient.
Basic texting is not enough. Patient engagement is not just pushing infor- mation out to a patient, but enabling the patient to send information back that allows for true, meaningful two- way communication. Lastly, while patient engagement
systems should be powerful and intu- itive, they should not add additional layers of complexity. If it isn’t easy, neither patients nor staff will use the system, which means there will be no engagement.
Early patient engagement studies
show better patient compliance with preop regimens, such as a scrub shower for a surgical site or avoiding particu- lar foods and medications. Some stud- ies also point to postop benefits associ- ated with patients being more involved in their care, including the reporting of postop complications much sooner. These are all encouraging trends. With new and exciting health care
technology innovations continually being introduced, vendors have only begun to scratch the surface. There is so much more potential for engaging patients and, ultimately, improving outcomes.
Stephen Punzak, MD, is the chief executive officer and founder of One Medical Passport in Willington, Connecticut. Write him at
stephen.punzak@onempcompany.com.
32 ASC FOCUS JUNE/JULY 2016
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