There are now more millennials (75.4M) in the workforce than Baby Boomers (74.9M). In 2016, Millennials are in the 19-35 age range and Baby Boomers are in the 52-70 range. But despite the apparent differences in these demographics, both groups are tech savvy and already used to technology enhanced customer experiences.

  Patient Engagement matters even more since Baby Boomers are now the dominant group using medical services.Providing services to this demographic group has many clinical study sites and providers looking for ways to leverage technology and provide better patient engagement experiences.   Patient-centered care is focused on the physician being the main point of care for a patient. With patient-centric care, the focus is centered on the patient. Here, the patient initiates the interactions and provides the information about their care. First let’s get the definitions out of the way and then discuss the impact on patients.

Patient Centered Care The National Institute of Health defines patient-centered care as: “health care that establishes a partnership among practitioners, patients, and their families (when appropriate) to ensure that decisions respect patients’ wants, needs and preferences and solicit patients’ input on the education and support they need to make decisions and participate in their own care.”

Patient Centric Care The IOM (Institute of Medicine) defines patient-centered care as: “Providing care that is respectful of, and responsive to, individual patient preferences, needs and values, and ensuring that patient values guide all clinical decisions.” Patients are savvy and expect to be engaged and informed, especially when you consider 63% use phones to go online and 35% have gone online to figure out their medical condition.  Patient engagement is everything from patient portals to tracking vitals with wearable. 69% actively track their own health and wellness.

1. Improving the patient experience. Patients are expecting and demanding greater control over their care. Provisions in the Affordable Care Act now link performance related to patient experience metrics to reimbursement. For the first time, health care organizations—and eventually individual providers—will be paid partly based on how they are rated by patients.

2. Advancing population health. Today, health care practices must meet new industry standards that emphasize outcomes instead of services delivered. Practices are on the hook for achieving better cost and clinical outcomes with initiatives such as Meaningful Use, Patient-Centered Medical Homes (PCMH), and Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs).

3. Reducing costs. Focusing on patient engagement can improve efficiency, reduce out-migration and reduce overall costs of patient care.

Ensuring personal care, recognizing what matters to the patients and constant communication are all tenets of improving patient experience. Technology in the form of mobile apps and health wearables can bridge the gap between the physician and patient. Constant monitoring of patient reported data, timely notifications and better insights from the data can help physicians improve health outcomes and the overall patient experience.

Here is your roadmap to build solid mhealth app strategy.Click on the image to know more!