Mastering Journey Orchestration and Transforming Patient Engagement in Healthcare
The ability to deliver personalized, seamless experiences continues to be vital. Especially in healthcare and especially now. At the heart of this transformation lies the concept of journey orchestration. When developed properly, this strategic approach enables healthcare organizations to connect with patients on a more meaningful level. In this article, we'll explore the importance of mastering journey orchestration and how it can evolve patient engagement.
Understanding the Need for Journey Orchestration
Today, patients expect healthcare experiences that are as personalized and connected as those they receive from leading consumer brands. However, achieving this level of engagement in healthcare is more complex due to the personal and sensitive nature of health information. There are vendors now offering HIPAA-ready technology for journey orchestration, with advanced data governance controls built-in for compliance. This creates the possibility for healthcare organizations to meet patients where they are in their unique healthcare journeys, offering tailored interactions that enhance patient satisfaction and health outcomes.
The Impact of Personalization in Healthcare
Consider the experience of Beth, a 72-year-old proactive about her health who is navigating life post-breast cancer treatment. Her journey involves maintaining continuity in her care, managing medication and treatment plans, and dealing with insurance coverage complexities. Without personalized orchestration, Beth faces disconnected touchpoints with potentially conflicting messaging that add stress and uncertainty to her healthcare experience.
With journey orchestration, her insurer proactively reaches out with plan recommendations that ensure coverage and continuity of care. Personalized resources for self-care during the treatment process are provided. Each touchpoint is intentionally crafted to be meaningful, reassuring, and empowering, leading to a positive impact on her engagement with her healthcare providers.
The Business Case for Journey Orchestration
Beyond enhancing patient experiences, journey orchestration offers tangible benefits for healthcare organizations. By aligning business objectives with patient needs, organizations can achieve lower call center volumes, improved satisfaction scores, reduced costs of care, and greater patient retention. In a competitive healthcare landscape, these benefits translate into a significant competitive advantage.
However, getting there is not easy, and many organizations encounter obstacles such as team silos, lack of enterprise strategy, and competing priorities. During a recent webinar, we asked attendees where they would place their organization on a digital maturity model and the results were surprising. The majority were still early on in their journey orchestration maturity, with some organizations starting at siloed channel management, while others had either time-based or behavior-based triggers set up. Very few had multi-channel journeys, and no one had real-time, automated orchestration in place.
One of the contributing factors here is the swirl created by organizations trying to do too much at once, rather than focusing on a few foundational use cases that will drive measurable results. To navigate these challenges, healthcare organizations must support their teams with frameworks and a vision for success. Let’s look at a few strategies that can help elevate digital maturity and support your organizational goals.
Strategies for Successful Journey Orchestration
Achieving effective journey orchestration requires a holistic approach. Organizations need to:
- Break Down Silos: Collaboration across departments is crucial. By fostering a shared vision and aligning cross-functional teams, healthcare organizations can ensure that every touchpoint is part of a cohesive, patient-centered strategy.
- Invest in Training and Enablement: While having the right technology is important, empowering teams to utilize these tools effectively is equally vital. Training, frameworks, and a culture of continuous improvement are essential components of successful adoption.
- Define Clear Objectives and KPIs: Organizations should establish clear objectives and measurement frameworks to track progress and demonstrate value. Metrics might include patient satisfaction, net promoter scores, retention rates, and health outcomes.
- Engage Leadership and Secure Sponsorship: Executive sponsorship and buy-in are critical for driving organizational change. Leadership support ensures the necessary resources and commitment to journey orchestration initiatives.
The Path Forward
Mastering journey orchestration is not a linear process but a continual journey of transformation. As healthcare organizations progress in their orchestration maturity, they will unlock new opportunities to enhance patient experiences, meet strategic business goals, and stay ahead in a dynamic industry.
For healthcare organizations committed to elevating patient engagement and achieving operational excellence, the time to embrace journey orchestration is now. By putting patients at the center of the strategy and leveraging the potential of personalized experiences, healthcare providers can create lasting positive impacts on both individuals and the broader healthcare landscape.
