How to improve patient outcomes: 5 strategies to drive desired health results
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For many healthcare organizations, cracking the code of how to improve patient outcomes is a mix of various strategies, tools, and insights working together to enhance care delivery, treatment, medication adherence, and more.
There’s an endless number of factors to consider during patient care ranging from pre-existing conditions and current medications to socioeconomic status and access to healthcare. And considering no two patients are the same, this complexity is multiplied for providers in daily patient interactions, for health plans managing large patient populations, and for researchers studying patient cohorts.
So much in healthcare is intertwined – so, what can caregivers, drug developers, analysts, and health plans do to improve patient outcomes?
This blog explores five strategies that can help impact patient health for the better.
1. Tap into the power of data
Healthcare data – claims data, patient demographic data, social determinants of health (SDOH) data, quality measures data, and more – has the potential to transform every patient interaction. However, too often, data is siloed, unstructured, or simply not well utilized to truly make a positive difference.
We live and breathe data at Inovalon, and our software enables organizations across the continuum of care to tap into the power of data.
DataStream
This solution delivers comprehensive, patient-specific data at the point of care. It turns hours of sifting through various forms of data or contacting other providers along the patient journey into seconds of accessing longitudinal data to see the entire patient health journey.
With DataStream, pharmacists can spend less time on prior authorizations and administrative tasks, and more time educating patients on their medications. This drives medication adherence and can lead to discovery of other current or previous prescriptions the patient also needs filled, reducing the number of visits they must make to get the care they need.
Converged Risk Analytics
Health plan quality measurement and risk score accuracy programs require access to member-specific data in different formats. This data has traditionally been kept separate, creating inefficiencies that impact the member experience.
With Converged Risk, health plans can use the same data leveraging a single data feed. They no longer have to worry about duplicative information or using multiple portals to accomplish common goals. Instead, breaking down data silos streamlines quality and risk efforts – improving efficiency, provider engagement, and member satisfaction.
Converged Provider Enablement
Converged Provider Enablement offers another way for health plans to better manage their members with data.
This solution delivers on-demand patient- and contract-level data to better identify gaps, inform patient outreach, and engage physicians. It creates plan-provider transparency, enabling both parties to better communicate and take informed action on what matters most: improving patient outcomes.
2. Factor for SDOH
As valuable as patient health data is, it cannot replace the value of identifying, understanding, and addressing SDOH factors.
These are the intangibles of healthcare. Everything from food insecurity and homelessness to the ability to speak English and access to transportation plays a role in patients’ wellbeing. Especially after the pandemic, healthcare has gotten a clear wake-up call to address health equity.
It’s up to all organizations – health plans, providers, pharmacists, researchers, drug developers, and beyond – to come together in identifying health disparities and closing gaps in care. Fortunately, SDOH data can make it easier for players across healthcare to address disparities in their patient populations.
Our latest data visualization tool even provides geographical hotspots of inequities, allowing organizations to focus on where they can have the most positive impact.
3. Benchmark your performance
In addition to having a strong understanding of patient health and socioeconomic data, performance data is a valuable resource when identifying how to improve patient outcomes.
We deliver benchmark performance for:
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- Health plan quality measures and value-based initiatives
- Provider first-pass claims acceptance rates
- Skilled nursing Star Ratings and quality measures against state and national performance
We also have a new data visualization solution to help Medicare Advantage (MA) plans benchmark their performance on the new CMS Health Equity Index.
No matter your organization’s position in the healthcare ecosystem, when considering what you can do to improve patient outcomes, it’s worth understanding what similar teams are already doing to drive desired results.
4. Improve the patient experience
For providers, sometimes the best way to improve patient outcomes is to enhance the patient experience.
Consider how easy it is for patients to confirm their demographic and coverage details when they arrive for their appointment. Or, how seamless their payment experience is as they leave. Each interaction from patient access through patient payment has an impact on the patient experience.
This isn’t simply a matter of satisfaction. The treatment experience plays a role in patient engagement. The more a patient enjoys their provider interactions, the more likely they are to return for visits, follow their care plan, and potentially, even adhere to their medication.
The patient experience has a ripple effect; it’s up to providers to ensure it’s a positive one.
5. Do everything with a customer-centric approach
Speaking of the patient experience, it’s evolving. Patients are taking more ownership of their health in the way they choose their health plans and providers, engage in care conversations, and assess payment options. They’re paying attention to which organizations are best meeting their needs and demanding more from the healthcare industry as a whole.
No one wants to improve patient outcomes more than patients themselves. It is their heightened engagement that will help determine the future of healthcare.
And with the rapid increase of patient-disclosed data (such as wearables and personal health applications) and new ways for providers, health plans, and life sciences companies to access longitudinal health data, the possibilities for improved patient outcomes are limitless – but every step toward better outcomes must be taken with a patient-first mindset.
How to improve patient outcomes with Inovalon
At Inovalon, our mission is to deliver cloud-based solutions that empower our customers to use data to improve the outcomes and economics of healthcare. Everything we do is to enable all organizations involved in the patient care journey, and the individuals they serve, with the right information, at the right time, to drive the right treatment.
Discover the Inovalon ONE® Platform to learn more about how we empower thousands of customers across the care continuum to improve health outcomes, performance, and efficiency.
Inovalon and design®, Inovalon®, and the Inovalon ONE® Platform are trademarks of Inovalon, Inc.
