Reimagining Healthcare

A Holistic Approach to Well-Being

The widespread penetration of internet, increased usage of smartphones and the popularity of online transactions have led to the demand for a drastic change in business strategies across all domains.

With that in mind, we present our thoughts on how technology can make healthcare more patient-centric, provide them more control and allow them to make better choices for their overall wellbeing.

Healthcare organizations could reap great benefits by developing an ecosystem that provides an omnichannel experience, which is spread across various devices, one that will provide the best in class User Experience that enhances brand value.

The Revamp

This starts with three primary attributes – Targeted, Organized and User-Friendly

The most important aspect to bring all those three together is to make connectivity and continuity in experience the focus.

To do that, we can make the website more informative, specifying the various programs, the facilities and support that the organization provides to the users of their digital platforms. The Information Architecture should be modified based on understanding the customers and their usage patterns, so that the needs of the consumer becomes paramount.

We can introduce seamless experience by tapping into technology advancements and various touch-points a user passes through on a daily basis. With the below being an example.

The Scenario

Melanie Smith is a 28-year-old software professional, married to Joseph Smith, a businessman. She lives in a three bedroom house with her in-laws, who are retired and in their mid-60s. She is educated, tech savvy and a fitness enthusiast. In her busy life, she also manages to find time to take care of her in-laws, who are diabetic.

Melanie just realized she is pregnant after a positive home pregnancy test and everyone in the family is excited, as it will be the couple’s first child.

What are the Needs?

• Melanie wants to find the best gynecologists in her area.
• She wants to follow the best diet to maintain her healthy lifestyle, but also be able to provide the right nutrition to the baby.
• Melanie also wants to continue helping her in-laws even though it’s going to be hectic in the coming months.
• Finally, she doesn’t want to resign her job, instead, she wants to find a way to manage everything hassle-free.

All the Needs Met

What is ideal for Melanie is to get everything from a single provider, so that she doesn’t have to run around and maintain multiple records.

• An ecosystem that provides the following facilities to her with a single login would be a great relief.
• A website/Mobile app where she can find doctors, read the reviews and fix appointments.
• Special programs for pregnant women.
• A website / Mobile app where she can read related articles and save it for future reference, if required.
• A mobile app that can remind her about the upcoming appointments, medicine schedule and various checkups. Not just for Melanie alone, but for everyone in her family.
• A health management app, which can keep track of her appointments, health/fitness and diet.
• An app in her smart watch that monitors her health on a regular basis.
• A personal health record with doctors, treatments, medicines, bills and insurance details etc.

The plan is an ecosystem in which the user/patient is the core and everything else revolves around them. The customer interactions should be optimized for the mobile and other wearable devices to reap in the maximum benefits from each platform’s capabilities.

A powerful backend system should be in place and working hand-in-hand with all the devices acting as multiple touch-points — like Charting System for doctors on a laptop/tablet, Symptom Checker and Finding Doctor on mobiles for patients, a Web App for the hospital admins to monitor the transactions & engagements and a Watch App to monitor health.

Logged in User

Research shows that when patients are able to see their own health data, they gain ownership of their wellness and are better prepared to interact with the providers about their care. Research also shows that it helps build brand loyalty and increases patient engagement.

Considering this fact, we suggest building a system in which both IN & OUT patients are able to create an account for themselves and/or their family members to keep all their health-related records in one place. It could be their medication details, test results, insurance details, medical expenses or a myriad of other things, all consolidated and acting as a Health Dashboard for them to refer to at any point.

This data can be used for pushing articles based on an individual’s health condition and interest areas as well as targeted advertisements/timely prompts for appointments or tests and many more.

Self-Service Center

A section defined to enable users to take actions by themselves. It consists of widgets, which help users to Book an Appointment, Find Doctors and cater to a wide range of healthcare needs.

Considering the fact that the majority of the users come to a hospital website for performing these actions, we suggest giving prominence to this section and keeping it very simple and user friendly.

Also, we are proposing a ‘Symptoms Checker’, which could provide another objective for users to visit the website. Symptoms checker serves two main functions: to facilitate self-diagnosis and to assist with triage. It can act as an educational/engagement tool, which in turn helps generate leads to the system.

Healthcare Services

The procedure details could be organized better to provide insights on why, how, who and when. Most of the users might not be aware of these details and what all facilities the organization is providing. This section could be elaborated more with what it takes to conduct the procedure, facilities needed for it, list of branches performing the procedure, team details and more.

The architecture should be defined in such a way that the users get the right information and there is a conversion policy associated with it.

International Services

Emphasize on the support and facilities the organization is providing to the International patients. The users should know that once the international package is booked, they can put all their worries behind. The feeling should be that from beginning to the end, they will be taken care of.

Starting with airport shuttle and hotel stays for their family, followed by perfect inpatient care and additional assistance after the procedure is completed, be it physiotherapy or normal convalescence. Finally, a holiday package, after checking out, can also be provided, ensuring the patient leaves the hospital premises with a big smile on their face and knowing that they have received top notch service, in every possible way.

Also, let the users connect with communities where they can see other patient experiences and receive helpful tips.

Healthy Life

A healthcare organization should not only educate the general public and their patients on medical conditions, but also help them lead a healthy life.

Moreover, health articles/tips from a reputed healthcare provider will have more value than a blog posted on random websites. Also, organizing the information in an easy-to-understand manner will help customers find and consume it easily.

Community support has been linked to positive health outcomes, with studies suggesting that the patient’s adherence and general health improves when receiving support from family or peers. A healthcare provider introducing a platform to interact/discuss various topics and medical conditions can enhance the overall image of the organization and make it stand out in the crowd.

The Design

We believe in keeping it clean and simple, which can help the end user perform their task with minimal effort and in double-quick time.

Please note that this is not the final cut, but merely initial thoughts on what can be implemented to bring in seamless integration for all the players in the space – be it the user, doctors, admins or pharmacists. That too, in such a manner that it not only changes the hospital-user experience, but completely redefines what going digital means in the healthcare industry.