Patient satisfaction has always mattered, but now practices will actually be measured and paid based on how their patients perceive the services and care provided.
For practices participating in the Oncology Care Model (OCM), their patients will receive a Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) survey from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services as this is one of the quality measures. The survey results will be a factor in determining the performance payment, so paying attention and having a plan to measure and understand each patient’s experience with their care is not only the right thing to do, but an imperative for new and future payment models.
The CAHPS survey reflects what patients want
The CAHPS surveys are developed according to what is important to patients, so it’s telling that the categories include:
- Getting Timely Care
- Appointments, and Information
- Health Promotion and Education
- Shared Decision-Making
- Care Coordination
- Between Visit Communication
While providers certainly want to deliver the best care possible, the level of service patients expect is not easy to achieve – financially or logistically. As the pressure to ensure a positive patient experience grows, providers are turning to technology solutions like Navigating Cancer’s Patient Relationship Management platform (PRM), which not only facilitates coordinated care, it alleviates the administrative burden of some tasks and frees up the care team to care for patients. Additionally, a technology solution will actually help you deliver a more personalized experience.
Exceeding patient expectations with Patient Relationship Management software
A cancer diagnosis is not only scary and stressful, diagnoses can be very complex, treatment options are often confusing or overwhelming and the patient may feel alone in it all. Creating a positive patient experience is a big challenge.
Navigating Care, a patient relationship management platform, is the ideal technology tool to couple with your caring and capable staff’s efforts. With a PRM solution, you are able to enhance the care you provide and fill in the gaps when you can’t be there.
- Education platform for self-care. We hear over and over that the volume of information patients receive in the brief time they have with their care team is nearly impossible to fully understand and retain. Patients also may be experiencing anxiety or have difficulty deciphering the complex medical jargon. Having access to that information whenever they want is very important. One patient told us, “I can look at the information the doctor discussed with me during my visit. I like having the ability to review my medical data from my recliner whenever I want. It helps me keep track of my health.”
- A community of patients going through something similar. Patients often feel like they are alone during cancer treatment as the lives of their friends and family go on like normal. Being able to connect to a community who can understand what you are going through is an important resource. “Being part of a community of like people is comforting,” one patient reported.
- Communication tools to stay in touch all the time. Patients undergoing chemotherapy may experience side effects, become depressed or have difficulty staying on treatment. With Navigating Care, patients are prompted to report anything that may hinder their treatment via a mobile app or their web application so any issue can be immediately surfaced to the care team for attention.
- Remote monitoring to understand and react to patient issues in real time. When patients have the ability to share how they are feeling outside the clinics, and your staff can follow up with their needs, patients will feel more cared for. You will save time also by using technology to smartly manage your highest risk patients that need you the most. A patient commented on our PRM, “It has put me and my doctors and nurses on the same page. We communicate better. I feel like they know me and how I am feeling. I feel like I have a closer connection with them.”
- Include caregivers so they can be more involved. Sharing information regarding self-care with the patient’s support system will empower the caregiver as well. They can better understand when to report symptoms and assist with medication adherence and support their loved one on their treatment journey.
What patients say about Patient Relationship Management
We survey the patients who use Navigating Care on an ongoing basis. The responses are overwhelmingly positive. When asked if having access to personalized data and resources improved their satisfaction with their care, 87% agreed or strongly agreed. Here’s some of the feedback we received:
“Access to my medical records and concrete information about this disease empower me to make better choices about doctors, medicines and treatment. This is important for a patient’s mental and physical well being.”
“I can get answers whenever I need them, and I don’t have to wait until someone can answer a phone call. I have the power of my medical information in my hands.”
“I feel I am better informed about my health situation. I feel it gives me some control over what is happening to me. I can make personal changes to what I am eating, makes me think about stress levels, anxiety levels and what I have done maybe the day before that I can see I need to make some changes. It makes me pause and think about what I need to do for myself.”
No one can be available all the time for every patient, but a PRM can help you get pretty close and ensure that you create a great experience for your patients. After all, it matters more now as it will be a key component in how you are paid. If you want to improve the patient experience and deliver patient-centered care in a cost-effective way, contact Navigating Cancer to learn more about how we help.