What Providers Need to Know
UMMS strategy to provide a more connected patient experience through new and enhanced digital health technologies requires participation from across the System, most especially from providers.
What We Need from Providers
Some of the most crucial elements of phase one of the digital health strategy will take active participation from our providers. These include:
Why We Need Your Participation
Patients today expect a digital health experience that fits their lifestyles and preferred communication methods.
- Patients increasingly value convenience when making healthcare choices.
- Both the pandemic and new technologies have changed the way people communicate.
- The digital health services that once were considered optional are quickly becoming the expected standard.
The last few years ushered in significant changes in healthcare delivery and patient expectations. We must view them as an opportunity for System growth and better engagement with our patients and communities.
The Competitive Landscape
UMMS Web Services performed an audit of digital assets offered by our entities and nine other local hospitals/health systems.
We surveyed the competitive landscape to gauge where UMMS fits in and analyzed the digital tools that patients use to manage their health. Assets reviewed included:
- Find a Doctor
- Online appointment scheduling
- Ratings and reviews
- Telemedicine
- Patient portals
- Online bill pay
All the local hospitals/systems we reviewed provide some type of online appointment scheduling, although in some cases, it's merely a request that requires a callback.
However, only five of our nine competitors offer real-time appointment scheduling without logging into a patient portal (the patient has an appointment at the end of the transaction).
An Opportunity for UMMS
We know that:
- In 2021, UMMS Find a Doctor profiles received 1.26 million page views.
- Nearly 70% of consumers rate online appointments as extremely, very, or somewhat important.
- 40% prefer to book via online channels.
- 83% of consumers rate appointment availability as extremely or very important when selecting a provider.
The addition of Epic open (real-time) scheduling featuring wide appointment availability paired with accurate, robust provider profiles gives us the opportunity to convert more site visitor page views into patients.