HIMSSCast: 'How do we grow again?'

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Upfront by Health Catalyst recently collaborated with Hartford Healthcare in Connecticut to integrate a tech-enabled patient engagement program for the seven-hospital system.

The omnichannel outreach was deployed to HHC patients to engage the population, close gaps in care, schedule annual wellness visits, follow through with specialist referrals and generate an uptake in vaccine adherence. This digital approach resulted in over five million appointments scheduled, according to Carrie Kozlowski, COO and cofounder of Upfront Healthcare, a company recently acquired by Health Catalyst.

What's happening, she said, is healthcare organizations are seeking ways to recover their business and drive revenue following COVID-19, while reducing costs.

"'How do we grow again?'" she said is the question asked.

The answer, according to Kozlowski, is a personalized patient experience.

"To really succeed at doing patient engagement," she said, "you are going to touch multiple parts of the health system and the organization."

To find out more, listen to Kozlowski's conversation with Susan Morse, executive editor of Healthcare Finance News.

Talking Points:

• Upfront was recently acquired by Health Catalyst and is now known as Upfront by Health Catalyst.
• The company works with health systems, large medical groups, health plans and value-based enablers.
• Upfront works with hospitals' EHRs, running analytics on a daily basis to prioritize the next steps in care.
• Health organizations need to know a person's motivations and influences to create a personalized pathway that has a higher rate of success.
• This means knowing whether a patient wants to be contacted by text, email or a phone call.
• Personalization addresses health equity, which is an important factor in achieving outcomes in population health.
• AI is not yet playing a role, but there is potential for its use.
• Meanwhile, not just having but using data is all-important.

More About this Episode:

Patient engagement around AI is mixed

Patient engagement in a post-pandemic world

Healthcare needs hyper-personalized patient engagement

Data and analytics can help payers understand population health drivers

Using data to nudge patients at a meaningful time

Email the writer: SMorse@himss.org