For Healthcare Organizations, the Patient Experience is Paramount

A survey of C-level healthcare executives early this year reveals that 60% of healthcare organizations are implementing digital transformation initiatives as a result of last year’s events. Another 42% of respondents said they are accelerating some or all of their organizations’ digital transformation plans. Overall, 70% said they planned to increase technology spending.

The survey by professional services firm BDO also shows that improving the patient experience (PX) is a major objective for providers, with 26% of respondents citing a better PX as their leading digital priority. The top three areas in which respondents said they are spending their technology dollars to improve PX were telemedicine (75%), electronic health records interoperability (64%), and patient portals (56%).  

It’s certainly understandable that providers want to improve their digital experience, given how critical virtual care was when in-person visits weren’t possible in 2020. Now that providers and patients have seen how well telehealth and other digital tools work, there’s no turning back. Interoperability spending, meanwhile, is being fueled by the drive toward value-based care and care coordination, neither of which can be successful without clinicians having access to relevant patient data.