Patients have more access to their health than ever before. According to a poll from Ricoh Inc., 60 percent of patients said they would rather search for treatments on the internet for life-threatening illnesses than have to fill out paperwork in order to see medical professionals. So, instead our patients are looking to apps to track their steps, forums to look up different recipes or workout regiments, and, the all too known, websites to look up their symptoms and worry about a myriad of life threatening diseases they may or may not have are available to them day and night. So, we ask ourselves, “Why do our patients feel the need to go to these sources rather than real healthcare professionals?”
It seems that the answer, at least partially, is quite simple – paper burden. In a poll of more than 2,000 US adults found that 77% believe that the quantity of paperwork encountered in a hospital impedes on the time that healthcare professionals have to spend with them, and similarly 79% of the people polled also felt more connected to their healthcare provider if they did not spend a lot of time dealing with paperwork. In the same study, 74% of people felt that healthcare providers that use mobile/tablet processing devices were more efficient than those who do not.
The evidence is clear, patients perceive that their healthcare providers are more in tune with them when there is less paperwork, more technology, and overall better focus on them as the patient than the paper that they fill out. Interestingly, there is also a push from the Affordable Care Act that mandates higher reliance on technologies to digitize health records and subsequently cut costs in the process.
Keeping patients, providers, the government, and your company’s bottom line happy – a win-win-win-win that sounds too good to be true. Though, it may not be that easy. Finding what works best for your company is first and foremost. The abilities to organize, capture, share, retrieve, upload and save patient data, all while making good use of the patient’s and employee’s time depend on your office’s and community’s individual needs. By taking the time to look closely at workflow and general needs in your office will help your organization efforts reach peak productivity, patient care, and cost savings. Building a better more efficient health care center can be overwhelming.
The bottom line: If growing your practice, while maintaining compliance and controlling costs, is on your mind, it’s time to talk with Stratix Systems.
Want to know more?
Our experienced systems experts would be happy to answer your questions, help you explore your options and develop a customized plan for you. Learn more at stratixsystems.com or call us toll-free 1-800-444-2943.