Kyruus Blog

This is the third post in our Call Center Patient Experience Series. Over the course of this three post series, we’ve explored some of the top barriers to patient access through health system call centers and how they impede a positive patient experience: outdated provider directories, limited patient-provider matching capabilities, and lack of visibility into provider availability.

This is the second post in our Call Center Patient Experience Series. Over the course of this three post series, we’ll explore some of the top barriers to patient access through health system call centers and how they impede a positive patient experience: outdated provider directories, lack of patient-provider matching capabilities, and insight into provider availability.

As we explored in an earlier blog, hospitals and health systems are struggling to deliver a great patient experience through their call centers – often the “front door” to their organization – due in large part to barriers to patient access. Over the course of a three post series, we’ll explore some of these top barriers and how they impede a positive patient experience: outdated provider directories, lack of patient-provider matching capabilities, and insight into provider availability.

Provider Directories & Patient Access

While demand for online self-service capabilities continues to rise, many patients still connect with a health system the old-fashioned way – over the phone. However, access centers frequently lack the resources to provide an effective, high-touch patient experience. In fact, our recent secret shopper report found that 82% of call centers were unable to book an appointment directly over the phone during the initial interaction. That’s not just a major barrier to patient access, it also means that most call centers are not equipped to deliver a call center experience that ends with a booked appointment, a big problem for converting demand and retaining patients in increasingly competitive markets.

As health systems pursue strategic initiatives around improving patient experience and expanding access, capturing the right metrics is critical to ensuring their goals are met. Historically, health system access centers have used "call time" data to measure their efficiency and value, attempting to keep patient calls short in order to handle a higher volume of calls. And while this metric may make sense for other consumer industries, a call time KPI is no longer the most important metric to track for health systems. Why? With market competition rising and consumers prioritizing experience, access centers should instead measure how easy it is for a patient to get to the right provider at the right time.

As the first point of contact for many consumers searching for care, your access center and your agents are essential ambassadors of your brand. And in an era where patient loyalty is up for grabs, delivering personalized service over the phone can transform a single call into a lifelong relationship with your health system. On our recent webinar, Dave Kriesand, Vice President of Banner Health’s Customer Experience Center, shared how they’re differentiating their access experience by making it easier for patients to find care that meets their unique needs. 

In recent years, patient experience has transformed from an industry buzzword to a serious initiative for many of the country’s leading health systems. Why? As patients become savvy consumers and their options for care expand, they are prioritizing things like experience and quality of care and are willing to switch organizations to get it. In fact, a new Press Ganey report revealed that patient experience is 5x more effective than marketing tactics at driving patient loyalty.¹

“Hello? I’d like to schedule an appointment with Doctor Famous.”

Many consumers rely on a familiar name when selecting a provider, whether it’s one they read about in US News and World Report’s latest hospital rankings or a recommendation from a neighbor or family member. But often times, when consumers call to schedule with these providers, they find that “Doctor Famous” is booked out for weeks, if not months. With convenience being a top priority for many consumers, waiting that long just isn’t an option. If this is the case, how does one begin the process of finding another provider that they trust?

Today’s consumers are “shopping” for healthcare now more than ever. And while convenient care options and access to rich provider information are driving healthcare consumers’ decisions around selecting care, insights from our second annual patient access report show that cohesiveness in the patient access experience is lacking.

Among the first things you want to consider when you’re ready to integrate chatbots is how they align with your product strategy and customer value proposition. In the healthcare space you'll also need to consider and account for the ethical, regulatory, compliance, and operational requirements in the design of the chatbot.

Recall the last time you scheduled a healthcare appointment. Now compare it to recent experiences searching for a flight or making a restaurant reservation. It’s not news that while other industries have become more accessible and consumer-oriented, healthcare has lagged behind. Navigating health resources can be an opaque process, with provider information strewn across various websites and often inconsistent between what’s available to consumers online and what’s available to those taking their calls in access centers. This makes it difficult for healthcare consumers to find the information they need to make informed decisions.