Patient-Interactive Healthcare Management, a Model for Achieving Patient Experience Excellence

Abstract

Today technology abounds for consumers to connect in health care however, technology to date has focused primarily on the provider and claims data with little room for the patient’s voice. Patient reported data comes secondhand through what providers learn as witness to patient symptoms or complaints. Unfettered access to patient reported data affords organizations and providers a pulse on performance from the patients view. Learning about individual patients’ needs, problems and daily choices as the basis for improved care coordination and management provides new insights. The patient’s voice makes the critical connection between care provided and continual improvement in care. In this chapter we will explore patient interactive reporting as a model for improving care and review case studies where patient feedback drove rapid cycle improvement through the use of real time feedback at the point of care (POC), exhibiting high levels of responsiveness and agility. P-IHM provides a blueprint to put more convenient, safer, higher quality healthcare into consumers’ hands; the impact: improved quality at lower costs.

Appendix

1.1 Embodiments Illustrated in Patient: Interactive Health Management Patents

Figure 16.2 is a list of search results for references on Patient Interactive Healthcare Management patents history.

Fig. 16.2

Search results for references on patient interactive healthcare management patents history

1.2 Figure 16.3, Adherence and Compliance Monitoring

Fig. 16.3

Illustration of patient’s perceptions of interactions with a healthcare practitioner/compliance monitoring

In this example via the data input device, the patient interacts with a user prompted interface. that collects information is an illustration (of a patient’s perceptions of inter actions with a healthcare practitioner) from patients via a touch screen. A survey is conducted, using non-specialized language, about the patient’s experience during the visit. The patient’s perceptions pertaining to the quality of the current physician visit is gathered. Patient’s perceptions of the communication of health topics in the delivery of evidence based health care during the physician visit also are collected.

Healthcare services rendered are verified by the patient immediately after treatment. This can reduce incidences of health care fraud because the information can increase accuracy as to the medical services that were actually rendered. Because the consumer/patient provides an evaluation of the office visit contemporaneously with the visit, using the consumer’s energy/knowledge is a more reliable source to pinpoint and reduce billing mistakes and attempts at fraud. The patient/consumer is also the best qualified to comment on the treatment received during the office visit. Information gathered from the patient, via the information collection station, provides the ability to simplify fraud prevention activities gather physician office best practice data to reward providers for higher quality performance and to provide patient education and compliance buy-in at the time of their visit.

1.3 Figure 16.4, Service Verification

Fig. 16.4

Illustration of an example verification survey/service verification

In this example the patient is completing a sample verification survey. The surveys and payment information can be collected on a database or any appropriate storage means. Responses to the survey can be tabulated and provided to the physician’s office (healthcare facility).

The survey offers government-pay patients (e.g., Medicare, Medicaid) the opportunity to express concerns and satisfactions with the care received from their attending health care professional (e.g., physician). The information provided by the patient can be aggregated into a database, or the like, that can be used to report a customer satisfaction score by provider, for customers and consumers accessible from a website, network, or the like. As the patient survey evolves it can yield comparative disease state management data intended to educate individuals about ways to reduce individual risk factors and achieve self-efficacy. This information can be converted into disease state management profiles that direct specific attention to various levels of analysis for the individual, the public, and the government-payer.

1.4 Figure 16.5, Quality Transparency for Consumer Information

Fig. 16.5

Depiction of an example provider rating report/quality transparency for consumer consumption

Is a depiction of an example provider rating report. In this example, providers are rated and the ratings are made available. The provider rating report depicted in Fig. 16.3 can be made available via the Internet, via email, via a paper report, or the like. Consumers can utilize the provider rating reports to assess practitioners before or after receiving services from the practitioner. A provider rating report can be generated from the evaluations and/or ratings of multiple patients. Information included in a provider rating report can include, for example, an assessment of the friendliness of the practitioner, the practitioner’s attentiveness to patients, an assessment of the education received from the practitioner, patients’ overall satisfaction with a practitioner, and an indication of patients’ perception of cost and quality of rendered healthcare services/goods.

1.5 Figure 16.6, Patient/Consumer Profile

Fig. 16.6

Depiction of an example patient/consumer profile

Is a depiction of an example consumer profile. The consumer profile is indicative of a patient specific healthcare report. As an example, embodiment, the patient-interactive healthcare management system stores and maintains healthcare information pertaining to each consumer’s experiences. A consumer can access a profile containing such healthcare information. The consumer profile depicted is an annual consumer profile. However the profile can be indicative of any appropriate amount of time. The consumer profile can provide information such as the consumer’s name, age, sex, and physical characteristics. The consumer profile can provide statistics pertaining to specific healthcare issues. For example, the consumer profile can provide information pertaining to chronic disease factors such as an indication as to whether the consumer is within acceptable weight boundaries and/or whether the patient’s blood pressure is under control. The consumer profile can provide information indicative of patience risk factors pertaining to various ailments such as diabetes, heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, and foot problems. Additionally, the consumer profile can run information pertaining to cost for treating specific ailments.

In this example, the patient interactive healthcare management system can be utilized as an information repository for tracking purposes. The patient-interactive healthcare management system can be utilized to track durable medical equipment or the like. For example, a patient may receive a durable medical product such as a wheelchair. At the information station, or the like, a barcode affixed to the wheelchair can be scanned into the patient interactive healthcare management system. This system will associate the wheelchair with the patient for tracking purposes. When the patient no longer needs the wheelchair, the patient can return into the practitioner, or to any appropriate location, and the location of the return wheelchair will be updated in the patient-interactive healthcare management system. The patient interactive healthcare management system also can be utilized to track prescriptions. Then, the patient interactive healthcare management system can function as a repository for tracking and maintaining a patient’s medication use.

1.6 Figure 16.7, Health Information Exchange

Fig. 16.7

Diagram of an example patient-interactive healthcare management system as applied to medicare/health information exchange

Is an example illustration depicting patient-interactive healthcare management as applied to Medicare. The database comprises patient information collected via the information stations above. It provides the means for health information exchange. The database 71 can comprise, for example, information pertaining to the quality of health care provided to patients, statistics pertaining to the accuracy of invoices, information pertaining to the overall quality of healthcare services provided, or the like. The information contained in the database 71 is available to Medicare billing 75. Medicare billing 75 can include any appropriate billing agency as the entity responsible for handling billing matters for Medicare. In an example, the information contained in database 71 is available to consumer groups 73. Information stored in database 71 is available, via Medicare billing 75, to the Medicare webpage 78. Information on the Medicare webpage 78 is available to a variety of entities including, for example, a patient 80, a healthcare provider 82, any information seeker 84 having access to the Medicare webpage 78, an auditor investigator 86, the Medicare administrator 88, and a professional association 90.