Vanderbilt University Medical Center

The future of tech in the patient experience space depends upon the evolution of the partnership between organizations and vendors. A day does not go by when a PX leader is contacted for a few minutes of his/her time to learn about a “new piece of technology that is going to revolutionize the patient experience space.” That is not to minimize the amazing innovation going on in the space, but I wish it were that easy to realize the results of an instant enhancement of the patient experience. I offer these observations to help both tech companies and healthcare providers navigate the tricky dance of successful implementation that drives results.

"A strong partnership is essential to see the benefit of a new tech offering"

First, a strong partnership is essential to see the benefit of a new tech offering. What does partnership look like? I think of it simply as I will scratch your back if you scratch mine. The scratches are actions like transparency, realistic expectation setting, and an in-depth understanding of each partner’s goal in working together. It is imperative that both parties enter the relationship with the goal of working to improve the outcomes for both parties.

Second, vendors need to understand the complex space that is healthcare delivery. The complexity comes from understanding the budgeting and funding cycle in a healthcare organization, which is getting more constrained by the day. Truly identifying the experience outcomes for an organization and the benefits need to be both on the patient and workforce side. It needs to make the process easier for both. So often, I have seen a solution that may make it easier for a patient but at the expense of making it much too complex for the workforce. 

Lastly, once implemented, healthcare organizations need to ensure they devote the right number of resources to continue to innovate and push the use of the technology throughout the entire organization. I think of it like this, if someone is not considering daily how they can make this tech better for patients and workforce members, then all the maximum gains identified as the reasons to implement in the first place may be lost. Healthcare organizations must do a better job of considering not only the acquisition, implementation, and software maintenance costs and also the internal maintenance needed to ensure optimal adoption and usage across the organization.

There are so many great new companies and innovations - the opportunities are endless! But if both the vendor and organization do not enter the relationship as true partners, then the results will likely fall short.