We were honored to be among the first readers of Edward Marx, CIO of Cleveland Clinic’s latest book, How To Improve The Patient Experience. Co-authored by Cris Ross, CIO of Mayo Clinic, it offers critical insights into the current patient experience and how to improve it. The book is a companion piece to their previous work, Diagnosed, as the two expand on their experiences as both patients and healthcare leaders.
The book is a great read and a vital resource for health systems looking to improve the patient experience. While we encourage you to read the entire book, here are a few highlights that caught our eye.
Empower Patients
One of the more prominent themes in Marx and Ross' book is patients taking ownership of their healthcare journey. The two provide several strategies to empower patients with the tools and knowledge to manage their healthcare. This process starts with collaboration between the patient and the provider. The authors wrote that a shared decision-making model of care is crucial for empowering patients. This method includes the patient in all decision-making related to their care, keeping them informed from start to finish.
This can only work when there's clear communication between patient and provider. Concise communication throughout all steps of the patient journey leads to better outcomes. But sometimes, information is still lost in translation due to complicated terminology. Marx and Ross advise health systems to clarify what they say and consider the patient's cultural and language needs.
Creating a Patient-Centric Environment and Culture
In a personal section of their book, Marx and Ross recalled moments from when they were patients. During this time, they recognized areas that could use improvement to create a patient-centered culture. One opportunity is volunteering. Volunteering in one's own organization can give professionals insights into the patient's point of view. This strategy can offer first-hand evidence of how patients perceive and react to their healthcare.
In addition to volunteering, the book suggested that health systems move all areas of their organization closer to the patient experience. This would include HR, legal, IT, and so on. Marx and Ross expand on this idea with fascinating examples of actual health systems that include all branches of their organization. With personal examples of the authors' own experiences, this was a captivating section that really stood out to us.
Digitize the Patient Experience
One of the last things How to Improve The Patient Experience touched on was the impact of digital technology on the patient experience. Marx and Ross offered a few helpful suggestions for utilizing new technology. One that stood out to us was keeping your digital front door simple. Patients don't want to use complicated tech to fulfill simple tasks. A key example used by the authors is during their time at the Cleveland Clinic and Mayo Clinic. They discovered that patients were given too many apps offering wildly different features. This caused confusion and frustration among patients as some would have to download three to four apps.
Even though tech can sometimes complicate the patient journey, there's plenty of opportunity to create meaningful patient relationships. Marx and Ross highlight this with real-world examples of organizations using customer relationship management software to provide a better experience. Patient characteristics such as doctor preferences, availability, and educational background were all used to engage patients personally.
As the title suggests, Ed Marx and Cris Ross wrote a fascinating resource that can help improve the patient experience. Read the entire book How To Improve The Patient Experience.