I think the biggest thing Cleveland Clinic has done to improve the value for their patients is patient education. The case spoke about the importance of patient satisfaction and the importance of ongoing engagement with patients. This means that it is crucial for the patients to know what is going on with their health, as well as what the next steps with treatment will be. Cleveland Clinic’s system gives their patients educational materials including post-evaluation information after visits for treatment of chronic to severe conditions. This information can easily be accessed online for free.
This leads to the next way the clinic is improving the value for their patients, that is open medical records. Although the Cleveland Clinic has medical records open for their patients for several years, recently, the clinic has been creating new ways to access personal health records online. Within the past few years, 3.5 million lab results as well as images have been made available for patients to view online. Also, patients are now able to access the notes from a visit that were written by their physician. Another way Cleveland Clinic has driven value for their patients is the series of pilots projects they launched. These projects allow patients to input their personal data on their own which enables a flow of information between doctors so they can track a patient’s progress. Overall, the Cleveland clinic has improved the value for their patients by providing follow-up advice, clear communication channels that are easily accessible, and created new ways for physicians to track their patients progress.
One thing that stood out to me that Cleveland Clinic is doing well is the open access scheduling. Open access scheduling was a significant change in the clinic since it streamlined the way patients scheduled appointments. All of Cleveland Clinic’s health centers have the ability for patients to access the patient portal so they can see their provider’s availability, and patients can also schedule their own appointments. This is important for both the clinic and patient’s because it reduces the time needed to schedule the appointment.
I think that there is a “patient first” transformation in place for several different reasons. First off, this case spoke about several ways the clinic is putting people first. For example, the open access scheduling, doctor follow-up / progress tracking, and accessible visitation notes are all ways of putting the patient first. Aside from this case, one thing that stood out to me from this class about putting patient’s first was from the Escape Fire movie. In one section of the movie, a primary care doctor was emphasizing the importance of teaching preventive ways to prevent diseases. I think there is currently a movement for putting “patients first”, but I think it is too small for what it should be.
One thing that stood out to me that Cleveland Clinic is doing well is the open access scheduling. Open access scheduling was a significant change in the clinic since it streamlined the way patients scheduled appointments. All of Cleveland Clinic’s health centers have the ability for patients to access the patient portal so they can see their provider’s availability, and patients can also schedule their own appointments. This is important for both the clinic and patient’s because it reduces the time needed to schedule the appointment.
I think that there is a “patient first” transformation in place for several different reasons. First off, this case spoke about several ways the clinic is putting people first. For example, the open access scheduling, doctor follow-up / progress tracking, and accessible visitation notes are all ways of putting the patient first. Aside from this case, one thing that stood out to me from this class about putting patient’s first was from the Escape Fire movie. In one section of the movie, a primary care doctor was emphasizing the importance of teaching preventive ways to prevent diseases. I think there is currently a movement for putting “patients first”, but I think it is too small for what it should be.
Hello Jakob,
ReplyDeleteI do agree that the patients first strategy is way too small for what is should be. I do believe though that it will be adopted once people start to hear about its great benefits. When patients become more aware of the way they should be treated and taken care of by their patients, they will start to demand it else where. Its a slow revolution, but we are the generation that will see the transition take place and hopefully we will be the lastly one to experience a 'cost first" strategy.
It's actually being done in many more hospital systems than you think. If cost and patient engagement are important for health and costs, then many more healthcare systems will participate. See the comment and link I provided after my first post about the case.
DeleteThe open access scheduling speaks directly to Ben's question about using a kiosk to avoid long wait times. Patients can see online when their provider is available. They can be added to a cancellation list, if a time slot opens up.
ReplyDeleteMany patient portals provide this ability, but it's the focus on the patient that makes hospitals and clinics like Cleveland to see the patient experience as paramount.
Good post Jakob. Preventative health seems like the biggest way an immediate impact can be made on the population's overall health. It seems like by restricting access to our health records, or wherever transparency is lacking, it constrains our motivation. As a previous video had mentioned, the patients are hungry to see their health records. If they had access, this might motivate them to be proactive in preventative medicine.
ReplyDeleteHey Jakob,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that the open access scheduling is important. Giving more power to the patients in terms of scheduling can significantly reduce frustrations, while also upgrading the clinic's efficiency. It would be great to see this adopted by more clinics around the country, as it can reduce hassles significantly.