It's time to digitize your practice: How to improve and simplify healthcare for patients, practices, providers and payers

Can you imagine if it takes eight hours to place an order when shopping online? And if your order takes 26 days to arrive? Unfortunately, this is the current state of many Americans' efforts to make a doctor's appointment. We as doctors can do better.

Americans spend an average of eight hours a month managing their health care and in many major cities, they have to wait 26 days to see a new doctor. In 2020, nearly 44 percent of adults in the United States reported that they had skipped or postponed treatment—not surprising, given the many barriers to care. Even more troubling, nearly 100 million Americans don't even have a primary care doctor. Perhaps finding a path to better health is just too much effort for the American health consumer.

Today's doctors can do better, and there are many (relatively) new technologies available to medical practices to improve the patient experience. The biggest obstacle is not complexity or even cost—it's just overcoming the inertia of change. Change is hard for anyone, but it's often said that it's especially hard in healthcare. Yet the pace of treatment innovation in the U.S. is astonishing, so why not the pace at which technology is being used to improve accessibility and patient engagement?

Integrating new digital tools into healthcare can benefit many stakeholders, including practices, providers, and payers. Technology improvements can increase practice efficiency and productivity: Electronic health records (EHRs) have already streamlined administrative tasks, reduced paperwork, and minimized errors, leading to more efficient practice management. Cutting-edge physician ambient listening apps on physicians' smartphones can now use AI to edit the physician's spoken words and accurately enter them into an EHR, saving time and reducing physician burnout.

Patient portals and mobile apps improve patient access, satisfaction and engagement through better communication between practice and patients. New digital practice tools use data analytics to gain insights into patient demographics, treatment outcomes and operational efficiency.

Digital tools allow practices to scale more easily, whether through telehealth services or by expanding patient care through automated scheduling and tracking. Cost reductions can be achieved by automating routine tasks, reducing the need for additional staff and lowering operational costs.

For providers, clinical decision support system (CDSS) tools provide evidence-based recommendations and can improve diagnostic accuracy and treatment plans. Time management, always a concern for providers, is addressed through automated prescription renewals and test result notifications.

Using virtual consultations in telemedicine, providers can improve accessibility for patients and reduce the need for in-person visits, especially for routine checkups or follow-up appointments. All of these advances of the new digital health era lead to comprehensive patient records and a higher level of continuity in care.

Perhaps the most impactful aspect of the new technology is the prospect of reducing the risk of burnout among physicians. Streamlined administrative tasks and a better work-life balance through the flexible tools of telemedicine ambient listening allow physicians to spend more time with their patients and enjoy their chosen profession more.

The digital tools are not only more efficient for practices and providers. Payers also benefit from the advantages in the form of cost savings, improved risk management, improved fraud protection, streamlined claims processing and better treatment outcomes for patients.

The vision is for more Americans to have timely access to quality health care. But to achieve that vision, physicians must be involved in the process as patients demand easier access.

In the interest of patient convenience, physicians should take a few minutes to look at what tools they offer to support the patient experience and how they can improve it. Quick assessments can usually be made simply by looking at your practice's website.

• Can your patients schedule a visit, pay a bill, or participate in a virtual visit themselves without logging into an online portal?
• Is there a digital waiting list where you can offer an earlier appointment in case of a cancellation?
• Is there an option to message a patient's care team if they have a quick question, or do patients have to call and wait on hold?
• Can patients read their lab results or complete the dreaded pre-visit paperwork from their phone?

Easier access to healthcare ultimately leads to better health outcomes, a goal we physicians all share.

Digital tools create a more efficient, patient-centric system. Practices that are geared towards the new digital world operate more smoothly, provide higher quality care, and enable payers to manage costs and risks more effectively.

As a primary care physician who has implemented these digital tools in his practice, I encourage you to explore opportunities to introduce these technological advances into your practice. Your patients and family will thank you.

Photo: elenabs, Getty Images

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