In this ongoing series, our CEO Justin Dearborn reacts to conversations happening in the industry that are helping us better understand the consumer’s point of view in healthcare.
Craig Kartchner is HonorHealth’s Chief Marketing and Customer Engagement Officer, having first joined the health system in 2017. His day-to-day work frequently lives at the intersection of marketing and customer experience, giving him a unique perspective on how to engage consumers in their health.
In an interview that originally aired on the Healthcare Rap Podcast in August 2024, Craig spoke with our Chief Marketing Officer Jared Johnson about how more marketers are taking on consumer experience responsibilities, yet widespread progress is still slow. He shared that at some point, the industry will have to have a paradigm shift, and why companies that excel at consumer experience seem to flounder when they wade into healthcare.
This conversation hits on many shared beliefs that align with Praia Health’s point of view. We pulled out some key insights from the episode. For each one, read what Craig shared in the original episode, followed by Justin’s commentary today.
Craig:
“We already know what customers want. We know what physicians want. We know what patients want. We know what payers want. We know these things. It's not a mystery. The key is aligning the incentives and getting the processes in place in order to deliver on those things and satisfy everyone.”
Justin’s commentary:
Craig, appreciate your positive message that customer knowledge exists, and we know you understand the structural challenges in leveraging that known data and in an action-oriented consumer friendly application environment. Siloed leadership teams and budgets are often working within their constrained environments or applications toward a similar goal.
Craig:
“There is no solution that will satisfy all of your needs. There probably never will be. So don't assume there will. You're going to have to standardize some things and buy the best existing thing in some cases. And you're going to have to create and customize in others. You're going to have to do both.”
Justin’s commentary:
There are solutions and off-the-shelf platforms on the market today that can help in providing the standard tools needed that are needed — identity, platform, messaging, etc. Then each health system must choose how they differentiate themselves on the front-end via branding, point solutions/services, and access/engagement. Health systems are re-considering their point solutions and tools purchased during COVID and are evaluating how to actively deliver a cohesive and orchestrated patient experience.
Craig:
“I think most healthcare companies that I have worked at or am aware of go to an EMR-first strategy. I think the problem is, first off, EMR's weren't built as consumer-facing tools at first. They have a lot more now, but that's not their roots, so it's not always best in class. You're never going to differentiate based on that alone. Having an EMR-only strategy in terms of CX is not going to differentiate you, so you're not going to outpace your competitors.”
Justin’s commentary:
Couldn’t agree more. The model of spending hundreds of millions of dollars encouraged by the HITECH Act, like what has been done for EMRs, on creating a digital experience for patients is not sustainable for health systems. Health systems should focus on delivering exceptional patient care and being the best partner possible to their care teams and providers. Health systems should not be spending capital on building and maintaining consumer experience platforms. Instead, they should look to off-the-shelf technologies, enabling the differentiation at a fraction of the initial and ongoing costs.
Craig:
“You're never going to find something that accommodates everyone's needs. For most people in primary care and outpatient, you can probably find a standardized existing tool. But the more specialized you get, the more niche the condition, the more you have to find point solutions, customize them, and find other ways to tackle things.”
Justin’s commentary:
Which means health systems need a platform that can provide nimble, cost-effective means to customize, adjust, and adapt. This is not the traditional model for EMR companies; therefore, health systems must embrace disruption and implement new models of managing these point solution deployments and customizations.
Craig:
“I think healthcare is transitioning. Another huge paradigm shift is the shift from being perceived as healthcare, hospitals, or clinics to being perceived as sick care centers, wellness, or well care centers. I think it's a tragedy that we have pigeonholed ourselves into that sick care realm, but we can't be that moving forward.”
Justin’s commentary:
Patients are continuous consumers of healthcare services and should be treated as such. Most health systems offer all these services, but to your point, are only seen as the “break-fix” solution provider, not the “holistic” healthcare solution provider. By treating the patient as a consumer and providing them with a “digital flywheel” of personalized and relevant services, you can increase engagement and measure utilization. The is the model followed by every other consumer-driven industry – just look at Amazon Prime, Starbucks Rewards, Bank of America, etc.
Craig:
“Where we have to get is for patients to see us as a resource that augments their own abilities, that makes up for what they can't do, and makes what they can do better, easier, and faster. We have to build the relationship of trust where they believe that we have the right intent, that we want to help them, and that we're capable of doing so. That's where we're headed.”
Justin’s commentary:
Craig, you are spot on. This is a journey, not a sprint. Health systems need to transition their thinking, leverage consumer marketing expertise and off-the-shelf technologies, then choose wisely on implementing nimble and cost-effective solutions. Legacy models — or just relying on the EMR to handle it over time — will not work. Similar to every other industry, when you shift some of the self-service burden onto the user, you must provide them with more service than they are accustomed to in return.
Comments in this article were made in good faith based on statements that are publicly available and are not intended to imply any endorsement, promotion, or other affiliation between Praia Health and Craig Kartchner, HonorHealth, or the Healthcare Rap Podcast.
