Boosting Patient Satisfaction: Can Digital Wayfinding Drive Healthcare Revenue?
In any business, the more satisfied the customers are, the more revenue the company generates. The same holds true for healthcare facilities. Healthcare providers are more likely to retain satisfied patients, but to reach that outcome, they must first foster engagement and accountability. Because current patient perceptions of the healthcare system as a whole are largely unfavorable, fostering satisfaction is more important today than ever.
Below, our team at Oppna Digital explains how interactive digital wayfinding can help healthcare facilities address that challenge.
What’s Damaging the Patient Experience?
For hospitals to improve the patient experience, they must first understand which factors influence it negatively. According to researchers, the primary drivers behind patient dissatisfaction are:
● Poor or delayed communication between providers, facility staff, and patients
● Waiting room delays
● Exam room wait times
● Wait times for necessary medical testing
● Excessive wait times for test results
● Inability to self-navigate healthcare facilities
● Safe, secure and physically distance solutions
Essentially, patients value their time and safety. They’re tired of waiting and wandering around. Unfortunately, though, ever-growing demands on the healthcare system, combined with time limitations and lack of adequate resources, make it difficult for providers and facilities to develop and implement more efficient workflows. Interactive digital wayfinding technology can alleviate that struggle.
Digital Wayfinding: Using Connected Tech to Improve Patient Satisfaction
To improve the overall patient experience, facilities must focus on resolving the factors that contribute to dissatisfaction, namely wait times and poor communication. So how does digital wayfinding technology help accomplish that task?
First and foremost, digital wayfinding offers healthcare facilities incredibly versatile technology that can be implemented in a wide variety of ways. Though the term “wayfinding” brings to mind navigation, that’s not the sole purpose of a hospital wayfinding deployment.
Certainly, interactive mapping, text-to-phone capabilities, and turn-by-turn directions throughout the facility can effectively resolve the wandering and confusion issue. But there’s far more beneath the hood of this technology than its name suggests.
With custom digital wayfinding software, healthcare facilities can leverage the power of omnichannel communication and integration to ensure patients remain well informed throughout the entire continuum of care. Facilities can implement interactive wayfinding and digital signage to:
● Send automated appointment reminders on the patient’s preferred communication channel
● Monitor patient flow and update patients on wait times
● Improve clinical workflow through the use of shared digital decision aids
● Set up digital portals, where patients can self-schedule appointments, access medical records, and view test results
● Streamline communication between providers, administrative staff, and patients
● Deliver patient-centered educational materials on preferred communication channels, including post-care instructions and preparation guidelines
● Voice activated, touchless soltuions for patients and staff
As consumers increasingly gravitate toward tech-based healthcare solutions, such as telehealth and remote monitoring, implementing digital wayfinding technology makes perfect sense. In fact, Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society Inc., a leading global consultancy on technological innovation in healthcare, widely supports that notion.
According to their reports, 79% of consumers are more likely to select a provider or healthcare facility that allows remote healthcare interactions, either online or via a mobile device.
Ready to Boost Revenue With Digital Wayfinding? Contact Oppna Digital Today
At Oppna Digital, we’re passionate about helping our clients enhance patient and visitor experiences. In an ever-chaotic healthcare setting, patients can sometimes fall through the cracks, but digital wayfinding can help your institution change that. Whether you’re looking for custom software, robust hardware, user-friendly content management or expert support and maintenance, our team specializes in a wide variety of services to ensure your system excels.
To learn more about our hospital wayfinding solutions and how they can enhance your facility, give our team a call at 651-237-5677 or send us a message via our contact form, and we’ll be in touch with you promptly. Ready to see what our solutions can do? Feel free to request your demo today!