Patient Engagement 2016
No Silver Bullet; Strategic Approach Needed

1. FEW PROVIDERS HAVE A STRATEGIC APPROACH TO PATIENT ENGAGEMENT; SILOED PROGRAMS AND TOOLS ARE MOST COMMON

The majority of patient engagement efforts and technologies are managed at an ad hoc departmental level–if they go beyond rudimentary portal adoption at all. Only 23% of providers have a coordinated, enterprise-wide approach to patient engagement that includes leadership oversight and documented plans. With an eye toward improving patient health, these strategic organizations are focused on three major goals:

1. Maximizing positive patient experiences to deepen relationships and motivate patient compliance;
2. Educating and informing patients so they can be active members of their own care teams;
3. Expanding patient interactions beyond traditional care settings.

2. PATIENT HEALTH TAKES A BACKSEAT AS MOST PROVIDERS FOCUS SOLUTIONS ON ADMINISTRATIVE GOALS

For most providers, patient engagement is administrative: they are using technology to satisfy regulations and improve staff efficiency rather than improve the general health of patients. The most common tool, the patient portal, has been adopted by 94% of study participants, but only 17% say it has had a significant impact on patient health. Fortunately, some organizations see greater health benefits when they apply their tools more strategically.

3. VENDOR PERFORMANCE ACROSS PATIENT ENGAGEMENT AREAS

4. CIPHERHEALTH, EMMI, AND GETWELLNETWORK CLOSEST TO JOINING EMR VENDORS AS POTENTIAL ONE-STOP-SHOP PARTNERS

Providers tagged 105 unique vendors as sources for patient engagement solutions, with the vast majority of vendors addressing only a single type of engagement. Providers seeking to consolidate vendors often turn their attention to EMR vendors, who may offer multiple outreach products or multiple capabilities in a single product–typically a patient portal solution. Third-party vendors CipherHealth, GetWellNetwork, and Emmi also stand out as meeting a variety of needs.

5. TELEHEALTH IS THE NEXT GREAT FRONTIER FOR PATIENT ENGAGEMENT

Virtual visits top the list of technologies providers are currently considering for the future. IPS implementation and patient portal optimization receive focus as well, especially for less sophisticated providers, who also plan to pursue patient outreach and patient acquisition solutions. Providers with more sophisticated patient engagement programs will expand remote monitoring, wearables, and mobile apps to more deeply integrate their health systems into patients' lives.