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PATIENT
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 PATIENT ENGAGEMENT IN HEALTHCARE

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P
Patient engagement
strategy heavily
influences tech
investment

Patient engagement atient engagement is widely considered

in healthcare a
key to value-based by many hospital leaders as a critical
reimbursement component of achieving high-quality care.
Patient engagement
technology can
improve outcomes Inside, uncover key survey results from the purchasing intentions
and enhance care survey by TechTarget and CHIME on patient engagement, the
influence of patient engagement on tech investments and value-
based reimbursement, and how IoT and CRM can improve and
enhance patient care.

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PATIENT ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY HEAVILY INFLUENCES

TECH INVESTMENT
Scott Wallask, Editorial Director, SearchHealthIT
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Patient engagement Healthcare organizations have embraced value-based care and patient engage-
strategy heavily
influences tech ment strategy, judging from an upswing in health IT investments aimed at
investment
improving the quality of patient care.
Patient engagement That news is among the most noteworthy results of a health IT purchasing
in healthcare a
key to value-based intentions survey conducted by TechTarget Inc. in partnership with the Col-
reimbursement lege of Healthcare Information Management Executives, or CHIME. TechTar-
Patient engagement get publishes SearchHealthIT.
technology can
improve outcomes Improving the quality of patient care is the top reason for health IT changes
and enhance care in 2017, according to 53.3% of survey respondents, a marked jump from 44.1%
in 2016.
Healthcare organizations are in the early waves of a growing shift in how
medical facilities conduct business, as greater patient participation in care
will merge with actions to improve patient outcomes. The end result will see
patients more directly involved with how well they maintain their health and

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recover from medical treatment -- and federal reimbursement will hinge on

those outcomes.
The TechTarget and CHIME survey, conducted from January 2017 to
March 2017, drew 425 IT respondents, most of whom work in hospitals, hos-
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pital systems, physician practices and ambulatory care centers.
Patient engagement
strategy heavily
influences tech PATIENT PORTALS PROVE POPULAR AGAIN
investment
As a result of a more-focused patient engagement strategy, survey respondents
Patient engagement indicated their organizations will invest in the following technologies:
in healthcare a
key to value-based
reimbursement Patient portals (67.1%), a result that comes as a surprise given how
Patient engagement established this type of service is. However, the static, non-user-friendly
technology can
improve outcomes patient portals of old are moving aside for more modern versions, par-
and enhance care ticularly mobile-based ones.

Telemedicine (58%), a technology that directly feeds into a more cus-

tomer-centric approach. Patient engagement stands to improve if clini-
cians can reach out to patients remotely at their homes for nonurgent or
follow-up matters.

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Secure communications (52.4%), a category that refers to technology

that prevents unsecured access to clinician-to-clinician and clinician-
to-patient messages.

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Online and mobile scheduling software (46.2%), which brings a
Patient engagement measure of convenience to on-the-go patients who use their mobile de-
strategy heavily
influences tech vices for many daily activities, health-related or otherwise.
investment

Patient engagement Remote patient monitoring (35%), which allows patients to essen-
in healthcare a
key to value-based tially bring their care with them wherever they go and offers more op-
reimbursement tions to interact with their physicians.
Patient engagement
technology can
improve outcomes A low result -- only 16.1% -- came for wearable health devices, which seem
and enhance care to suffer from an inability to cross over from consumer-focused gadgets to
heavy-duty health IT analytics tools.

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Patient engagement
strategy heavily
influences tech
investment

Patient engagement
in healthcare a
key to value-based
reimbursement

Patient engagement
technology can
improve outcomes See the chart for information about how other related technologies are playing into the
and enhance care patient engagement strategy trend.

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EHR SPENDING GOES UP

Interestingly, electronic health records (EHRs) are poised to see greater pur-
chase gains in 2017 -- 41% of organizations plan to purchase EHR technologies
or services this year versus 33.7% in 2016.
Home
This finding may stem from several factors, including smaller hospitals
Patient engagement buying new EHR systems and upgrades to cloud-based electronic records
strategy heavily
influences tech systems.
investment
EHR vendors also continue to explore new features with the technology,
Patient engagement such as slimmed-down versions for facilities with tighter budgets and new
in healthcare a
key to value-based analytics modules added on to the existing systems.
reimbursement

Patient engagement
technology can
improve outcomes
and enhance care

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PATIENT ENGAGEMENT IN HEALTHCARE A KEY TO

VALUE-BASED REIMBURSEMENT
Shaun Sutner, News and Features Writer, SearchHealthIT
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Patient engagement Within the federal government's meaningful use requirements, patient en-
strategy heavily
influences tech gagement in healthcare focused on patient access -- via portals -- to health
investment
data collected and stored by providers. But a newer incarnation of the concept
Patient engagement comes when patients take a bigger role in their treatment, such as generating
in healthcare a
key to value-based their own health data and transmitting it to clinicians -- allowing caregivers to
reimbursement better coordinate care and therefore lower costs and improve outcomes.
Patient engagement "Patient engagement is really central to getting care coordination right,"
technology can
improve outcomes said Brian Eastwood, patient engagement analyst for health IT research and
and enhance care consulting firm Chilmark Research. "At its core, it's keeping an eye on chronic
patients in between the appointments they might have with the health system.
The idea there is that they're given goals at these appointments and have care
plan tasks to do. They're now starting to understand the condition they have
and work toward doing those things a little bit more."
Patient or a new diagnosis; tracking key chronic condition metrics such as

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blood glucose and blood pressure levels, activity and weight; meeting individu-
alized exercise or activity goals; and adhering to a dietary plan.

BEYOND PATIENT PORTALS

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In his September 2016 Chilmark report, "Beyond the Portal: Technology for
Patient engagement Improved Consumer Engagement," Eastwood explored technologies and
strategy heavily
influences tech vendors that have been developing patient engagement in healthcare systems
investment
and included some capabilities of next-generation systems. "To provide the
Patient engagement level of engagement necessary for coordinated care," reads the 47-page report,
in healthcare a
key to value-based "next-generation solutions will include much functionality that today's portals
reimbursement lack." Eastwood predicted that over the next several years, patient engagement
Patient engagement in healthcare systems will be mobile-first, integrate telehealth for acute and
technology can
improve outcomes post-acute care, and incorporate artificial intelligence.
and enhance care

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Patient engagement
strategy heavily
influences tech
investment

Patient engagement
in healthcare a
key to value-based
reimbursement

Patient engagement
technology can
improve outcomes
and enhance care

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Meanwhile, as more providers and health plans start delivering value-

based rather than fee-for-service care and engaging in value-based contracts
with employers, patient engagement becomes critical, Eastwood said. He added
that providers "have more of an incentive to improve that kind of engagement."
Home
As a result, providers, health plans and employers with wellness programs are
Patient engagement starting to look more at engaging with patients before chronic conditions get
strategy heavily
influences tech worse instead of relying on portals or other patient communication after ser-
investment
vices have been rendered, he explained.
Patient engagement
in healthcare a
key to value-based
reimbursement

Patient engagement
technology can
improve outcomes
and enhance care Brian Eastwood
Eastwood acknowledged that many EHR vendors now include modules for
patient-generated health data and provide patient engagement apps. But they
generally don't have the ultra-specific focus on costly chronic conditions such
as diabetes, hypertension, obesity and chronic pulmonary obstructive disease.
In contrast, smaller, more agile health IT companies make patient engagement

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central to their technology, he said.

BENEFITS OF PROVIDER REIMBURSEMENTS

A scientific basis for patient engagement in healthcare is reflected in the ex-
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pansion last year of a diabetes prevention program by the Centers for Medi-
Patient engagement care and Medicaid Services (CMS), Eastwood said. CMS' new willingness to
strategy heavily
influences tech reimburse providers for pre-diabetes intervention, he reported, comes after
investment
pilot programs across the country revealed that this approach can be medically
Patient engagement effective and save money. The private health IT sector likewise is interested in
in healthcare a
key to value-based technologies that can support similar medical intervention initiatives, he said.
reimbursement Another commercially fertile area for patient engagement is services, such
Patient engagement as oncology, in which patients are highly motivated to stick to complicated
technology can
improve outcomes treatment schedules and drug regimens. And one other significant area in-
and enhance care volving patient engagement is customer relationship management or patient
relationship management, which some vendors and healthcare organizations
are adapting from the sales world to bring together disparate caregivers and
communicate with patients often.

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PATIENT ENGAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY CAN IMPROVE

OUTCOMES AND ENHANCE CARE
Reda Chouffani, Co-founder, Biz Technology Solutions
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Patient engagement Patient engagement is widely considered by many hospital leaders as a critical
strategy heavily
influences tech component of achieving high-quality care. Improving the relationship between
investment
physicians and patients while ensuring that patients are engaged in their care
Patient engagement leads to improved outcomes, enhanced care and reduced care costs.
in healthcare a
key to value-based The internet of things (IoT) and customer relationship management
reimbursement (CRM) are two examples of patient engagement technology that can help
Patient engagement physicians build better relationships and connect patients to hospitals to help
technology can
improve outcomes cultivate their engagement in the care process.
and enhance care Physicians have long relied on their electronic health records (EHR) to
store and manage patient data. Despite having data such as lab results and
medical history stored in those systems, several providers admit that other
aspects of patient interactions and health data outside of the hospital are not
being collected by those EHR platforms. Data captured from wearables, elec-
tronic communications and a patient's personal preferences are some of the

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new areas physicians are looking to use to improve patient engagement.

CRM CAN IMPROVE THE PHYSICIAN-PATIENT RELATIONSHIP

Service-oriented businesses such as retail and financial institutions use CRM
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systems to manage their clients and identify what their customers want and
Patient engagement need. That's accomplished by tracking the numerous interactions employees
strategy heavily
influences tech have with customers. The impact of these tools can often translate into stronger
investment
relationships. The success of platforms such as Salesforce and Microsoft CRM
Patient engagement further proves that these solutions are critical to organizations of all sizes.
in healthcare a
key to value-based Healthcare organizations are turning to CRM tools to help connect with
reimbursement and manage relationships with their patients. By collecting information about
Patient engagement a patient's personal preferences and medical conditions, hospitals are now rec-
technology can
improve outcomes ognizing that CRM can offer powerful insights that make patients feel they're
and enhance care being cared for and understood.

IOT BRINGS VALUE TO PATIENTS AND HOSPITALS

The popularity of wearables -- such as fitness trackers, blood glucose moni-
tors and other connected medical devices -- has taken healthcare by storm.
Consumers have embraced these devices and are adopting them for various

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purposes with or without a prescription. Wearables allow patients to track and

manage their illnesses on their own.
This widespread adoption has encouraged many physicians to finally
support IoT as an effective patient engagement technology. IoT devices have
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already shown positive impacts on reducing patient readmissions, supporting
Patient engagement medication adherence and delivering home health monitoring and support.
strategy heavily
influences tech To get the most value out of IoT, hospital IT executives must first overcome
investment
the common challenges that stand in the way of wider adoption. Security con-
Patient engagement cerns and a lack of EHR integration are just two of the obstacles that will slow
in healthcare a
key to value-based the adoption of IoT as a viable patient engagement technology.
reimbursement

Patient engagement HEALTH APPS CONNECT PATIENTS TO PROVIDERS

technology can
improve outcomes From scheduling appointments to viewing their medical charts, patients can
and enhance care use mobile health apps to interact with their care providers, ask questions and
receive up-to-date information about their health. PowerChart Touch and
MyChart are two common patient health-record apps that receive a significant
amount of traffic since they're offered as part of the top hospital EHR platforms.
However, these mobile apps are not enough to drive patient engagement on
their own. Many hospitals have realized that and are quickly moving toward

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building and delivering mobile apps that can provide additional services for pa-
tients and help keep them engaged. Such hospital apps include patient educa-
tion, physician directories, notifications and health alerts, telehealth services
and patient-generated data hubs.
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Patient engagement VIRTUAL HEALTH ASSISTANTS AID PATIENTS AT HOME

strategy heavily
influences tech 2017 is likely to bring one more technology trend that could prove to be quite
investment
disruptive. Amazon Echo, Google Home and Cortana are taking the market by
Patient engagement storm. With their strong use of machine learning that runs off large cloud in-
in healthcare a
key to value-based frastructures, these devices are the new voices heard in the homes of millions
reimbursement of patients worldwide. They cost $150 on average and are opening the door for
Patient engagement a new patient experience in the home. Patients are already experimenting with
technology can
improve outcomes them to receive medication alerts and appointment reminders and take routine
and enhance care health assessments and surveys. These devices can also act as patient educa-
tion tools. Over time, more hospitals will look to this technology to improve
patient engagement.
Technology plays a significant role in providing support for hospitals to
reach their goal of improved outcomes and better patient engagement. 2017
will bring more advancements in patient engagement technology, but there are

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still obstacles to overcome. Lack of interoperability with EHRs and security

concerns continue to resurface in many new technology adoption conversa-
tions, forcing hospitals to slow their adoption down until their due diligence
is completed.
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Patient engagement
strategy heavily
influences tech
investment

Patient engagement
in healthcare a
key to value-based
reimbursement

Patient engagement
technology can
improve outcomes
and enhance care

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 PATIENT ENGAGEMENT IN HEALTHCARE

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Patient engagement sis and the Web’s largest library of vendor-provided white pa-
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influences tech
investment reports and more —drawing on the rich R&D resources of technology providers to address
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Patient engagement cess to vendor neutral, expert commentary and advice on the issues and challenges you
in healthcare a
key to value-based face daily. Our social community IT Knowledge Exchange allows you to share real world
reimbursement information in real time with peers and experts.

Patient engagement
technology can
improve outcomes WHAT MAKES TECHTARGET UNIQUE?
and enhance care TechTarget is squarely focused on the enterprise IT space. Our team of editors and net-
work of industry experts provide the richest, most relevant content to IT professionals and
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