Introduction
Health IT professionals need to create digital solutions that streamline EHR workflows and allow physicians to be more engaged. Currently, physicians feel overburdened by data and administrative tasks that take away time from patients. Increased feelings of burnout and satisfaction due to the pandemic can make clinicians feel less engaged. Digital solutions can lessen the load by streamlining the process and allowing physicians to connect with patients between visits. This will lead to increased provider engagement and more personalized care for patients. Overall, provider engagement is crucial to providing better outcomes for patients and physicians.
Background
Digital Data Leads to Burnout
Healthcare professionals are resigning from the field at increased rates due to feeling overworked and a lack of satisfaction. A survey showed that 64% of respondents felt that their burnout was worse due to the pandemic (1). The administrative burden faced by clinicians to keep up with digital data and the overwhelming amount of patients due to COVID-19 causes burnout and decreased satisfaction. Clinicians are struggling to keep up, especially with consumers wanting more personalized healthcare that will inevitably require more data. Even simple tasks such as sending referrals, following up on prior authorizations, booking appointments, and keeping up with referrals are often time-consuming and can lead to errors (2). Healthcare professionals can provide more personalized care and have reduced clinical burnout when there are innovative digital solutions that give them the tools to do so.
Solutions
Provider Engagement Leads to Personalized Care
Digital solutions can increase provider engagement in-between visits and promote personalized care. Automating many tasks between patients and providers allow for more efficient data sharing and preventive care (3). One way to keep providers more engaged is to create tools that allow interactions with patients between visits. Clinicians can provide booking confirmations that share the appropriate time, location, and name with patients in order to confirm that the details are correct. Another important tool is appointment preparation, which allows providers to share details on what to do before check-in (3). This involves remote registration and important pre-test information that will reduce wait times. The last important tool is improving data intake by allowing consent forms, screening, and insurance paperwork to be done before visits. Providers will have access to the information before the appointment and can spend more time with the patient (3).
These tools allow providers to have an updated picture of the patient’s background and allow them to be more prepared and involved. These digital solutions increase provider engagement between visits and lead to better health outcomes for patients by promoting preventive and personalized care.
Streamlining Administrative Tasks
An integrated EHR system reduces clinical burnout and increases provider engagement by streamlining administrative tasks (2). Electronic orders that track referrals and orders decrease delayed care and allow providers to address health complaints when they come. Another important tool is providing faster authorizations. Prior authorizations when orders are initiated can decrease cancellations (2). Another time-consuming administrative task is scheduling between different faculties and hospitals, which can sometimes lead patients to the wrong location. Prompts that remind clinicians of operational guidelines from different departments can prevent these issues and decrease call times (2). The last tool is implementing messaging between physicians that promote collaboration. Before a patient checks out, the provider can schedule an appointment on the patient’s behalf with another facility for continued care. All of these digital tools are crucial to increasing provider engagement by streamlining administrative tasks.
Conclusion
Healthcare professionals need to improve provider engagement so that physicians can build better relationships with each other and their patients. Increasing provider engagement will eventually lead to increased patient engagement due to the increased follow-up and collaborations between patients and physicians. Using digital solutions that reduce time spent on administrative tasks and allow for more personalized care will increase provider engagement and allow physicians to spend more time caring for patients.
References
- https://www.physicianspractice.com/view/healthcare-providers-career-satisfaction-is-dropping)
- https://www.r1rcm.com/news/five-ways-digital-engagement-can-elevate-the-provider-experience
- https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cipherhealth-announces-cipherconnect-conversational-engagement-solution-that-leverages-patient-data-to-personalize-engagement-and-keep-patients-in-network-301520359.html
