7 Compelling Reasons To Prioritize The Access Experience

In a consumer-driven healthcare market, optimized scheduling and convenient access are essential to a provider’s ability to provide quality care, meet patient expectations, and stay competitive. Many organizations are investing in new technologies, processes, and partnerships that prioritize a fully optimized and convenient access experience. Here are seven compelling reasons you should too:

Access represents the first step in the patient journey and can have a major impact on their overall experience. A recent Harris Poll stated the average American spends one full work day a month coordinating care for themselves or loved ones, and failures in access are the biggest contributor to negative patient sentiment. When healthcare providers prioritize optimized scheduling, patients feel valued, respected, and cared for.

Improving the access experience empowers patients to actively engage in their healthcare. Patients are more likely to prioritize their health needs and follow through with necessary treatments and follow-ups if it’s easy. Changes made to improve access during the pandemic, like introducing virtual visits and automated check-in, are an example of this; the likelihood of patients scheduling routine visits improved by 17%.

An optimized access experience helps healthcare organizations streamline their operations and improve efficiency. Just by effectively managing appointment scheduling, healthcare providers can minimize idle time, reduce wait times, and maximize the utilization of resources. Many organizations go a step further to preserve precious staff resources and offload these tasks to access partners. This ensures focus on providing quality care rather than access challenges, leading to improved productivity and workflow for the entire organization.

In a competitive healthcare market, convenient access and optimized scheduling can be key differentiators. Nearly 7 in 10 patients would switch providers for more convenience alone. Healthcare organizations that prioritize and invest in an improved access experience gain a competitive edge that can lead to increased patient volume, improved financial performance, and a stronger market position.

Optimized access experience allows healthcare providers to allocate their resources effectively. A well-managed, data-driven access process can predict patient demand and optimizing appointment scheduling, ensuring a maximized fill rate and the ability to match the right number of staff, equipment, and facilities to meet patient needs. In addition to impacting care delivery, this helps to reduce cost.

Waiting remains a top complaint, so the ability to schedule appointments easily and quickly, without unnecessary delays, holds a lot of value. Improving the access experience not only improves patient satisfaction but also reduces the risk of delayed diagnosis or treatment. Additionally, shorter wait times demonstrate a commitment to patient-centered care, which can attract new patients and retain existing ones.

When patients spend 40% more time navigating the access system than with their providers, a convenient optimized experience can be the key to loyalty and retention. It is no secret that it’s more cost-effective to retain existing patients than to acquire new ones. By prioritizing access, healthcare organizations can build long-term relationships with patients, leading to improved patient loyalty, positive word-of-mouth referrals, and sustained business growth.

Ultimately, in an era where patient experience is a key differentiator, ensuring optimized access and scheduling is not just beneficial, but essential for any healthcare provider aiming to thrive. If your organization is looking for ways to bolster your access experience, Envera can help. We offer comprehensive engagement partnerships, building custom solutions that provide the right combination staff and technology to improve the access experience and position providers for growth.