Patient Engagement

Denise Hines, Chief Americas Officer at HIMSS, talks about the need for healthcare IT to take a full look at the patient and what's next in patient empathy and experience.

Even as EHRs, telemedicine and AI continue to transform clinical practice, certain core human qualities – civility, respect, empathy, collaboration – are "what make us valuable."

Pairing clinicians and researchers with the right digital technology will improve outcomes, says Katie McMillan, associate director of the Mobile App Gateway at Duke University Health System.

There are ways patients and providers can more effectively navigate the complexity of healthcare costs, says Rebekah Angove, vice president at the Patient Advocate Foundation.

Too many well-meaning providers are "yessing" themselves into serious overwork, putting their health and their patients' health at risk, says one doctor who learned that the hard way – and did something to fix it.

Pediatric care and emergency departments face unique challenges to innovation and patient engagement, including social determinants and fragmented care, says Mohsen Saidinejad, director of patient experience at Harbor–UCLA Medical Center.

As healthcare becomes “life care” hospitals are evolving the patient experience with digital health tools and that calls for new language in some cases.

"We're all looking to accomplish a lot," said Press Ganey's CEO at the HIMSS and Cleveland Clinic Patient Experience Summit. "But without the right organization and understanding, we'll collapse under the weight of aspirations."

Stressing the importance of app validation, Dr. Jack Resneck, Jr., chair of the board of trustees at the American Medical Association, says technology can either improve or reinforce disparities around outcomes in healthcare.

While technology enables communication between patient and provider, implementing patient engagement requires much more, says Sam Hanna, professor and associate dean at American University.