How Virtual Care Helps a Patient Feel like a VIP

Patient-centered Care

According to the NEJM Catalyst, patient-centered care means that an individual’s specific health needs and desired health outcomes are the driving force behind all health care decisions and quality measurements.  Home health agencies deliver patient-centered care when they partner with their patients to make a real difference in their patients’ lives.
A home health clinician must adapt and be flexible, successfully partnering with the patient yet evolving the partnership – sometimes on a daily basis.   In Home Care Nursing: Surviving in an Ever-Changing Care Environment, Tina M. Marrelli highlights that “home care is the most unique practice setting because the nurse or other team member must fit into and function effectively in the patient space, and their most beloved place often times, rather than the patient fitting into the hospital or other setting.”
VIP Level Care with Virtual Care
To better engage patients as partners, home health agencies are using technology to elevate the patient experience.  Patients’ wishes and needs change throughout the episode of care.  With virtual care, agencies can elevate their care delivery, making every patient feel like a VIP by providing patients with the answers, assistance and assurance they need and want:

  • Answers:When patients have a question regarding their health, they want immediate answers from their home health partners.With video conferencing, a patient can launch a face-to-face video call with a clinician at a moment’s notice.The first available, designated clinician from the patient’s care team will quickly address the patient’s question and also determine if an in-person visit is needed, a specialist should be included in the call, or if transfer to a care facility is the best option.Patients will appreciate this higher level of care whenever they have questions throughout the episode of home health care.
  • Assistance:Ongoing assistance with the prescribed plan of care will help a patient follow the protocol thoroughly and accurately.With automation, a home health agency can schedule a series of messages which remind the patient about medication adherence, nutritional requirements, exercise programs, wound care, and/or upcoming appointments.Patients value the ongoing support which helps them better perform their role in self-care in-between virtual and in-person visits.
  • Assurance:Patients (and their family caregivers) may need assurance after-hours and on weekends when your limited staff might not be able to drive for an in-person, on-demand visit.By using a HIPAA-compliant communication app, patients can interact with your available staff.Caregiver anxiety and burnout can also be addressed with immediate support from your staff via secure message, email, text and video.As a result, your staff can make every patient and every caregiver feel important while also minimizing the costs associated with these urgent trips.

With virtual care, home health agencies can treat every patient like a VIP by using virtual care to strengthen patient satisfaction, reduce the risk of rehospitalizations, and enhance patient outcomes.

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