The Importance of Patient Engagement:
Patient engagement is the key to program success.
When patients are engaged in their own care, they are more likely to take an active role in managing their conditions, making lifestyle changes, adhering to medications and treatment plans, and attending regular check-ins and appointments. This leads to better health outcomes and can prevent complications and hospital readmissions. Additionally, when patients are engaged, they are more likely to be satisfied with their care, which can lead to increased trust and better relationships between patients and healthcare providers.
🔑 Keys to Engagement Success:
✅ Always Follow the “3 E’s”: Engage, Empathize, and Educate
By following the "3 E's" of Patient Engagement in every patient interaction we can ensure patients are getting the most out of their program participation. When interacting with a patient, be sure to:
Engage patients by always asking the patient how they are. Take the time to look over your previous conversations with the patient and review their medical chart. Be sure to incorporate this information into your conversation.
Example: if you noticed a patient mentioned "back pain" in your conversation thread in the previous week, ask them: "How are you? How's your back pain been lately?"
Empathize with patients' unique situations and listen to what they have to say. Studies show that nurturing a more empathic relationship can lead to better outcomes for patients, fewer disputes with healthcare providers, and higher reimbursements due to greater patient satisfaction.
Example: If a patient mentions that they are feeling overwhelmed with managing multiple medications and appointments, let them know that you understand and here to help.
Educate patients on how you can help them. As a Care Manager, your focus should be on whole person care; this means you can, and should, help patients beyond the basics (like appointment scheduling or medication refills).
Example: If a patient expresses to you that they'd like to lose weight or eat healthier, you can go above and beyond by: finding and sharing local gyms in their area, suggesting daily exercise routines and meal plans, or recommending healthy foods to add to their diet.
✅ Engage in Proactive Follow-up:
Quality and timely patient follow-up is the foundation for successful engagement and relationship development with your patients. Be sure to always respond to your patient no matter what, and use the Task feature to create reminders to follow-up at a later date.
Example: If a patient responds with “I’m fine,” make sure to double check and ask the patient if they’re sure. Create a Task to follow-up with the patient at a later date.
✅ Be Focused not Frantic
Take time to address patient needs one at a time. Ensure that all messages in your inbox are addressed before sending additional check-ins.
Example: Sort your Care Management Inbox by "Waiting Longest" and "Important". Take the time to address each patient's need or response individually.
✅ Call the Patient.
By picking up the phone you have the opportunity to connect more deeply with your patients, discover their needs, and build a stronger relationship with them. This will also give you the opportunity to perform a chart review, med. rec., and Care Plan update while you're on the phone with them.
Example: Set weekly goals for patient phone calls. Set aside time each day to call patients with complex needs or those who haven't responded to a check-in in a while.
✅ Ask the Patient: "What Matters to You?"
Studies show that asking patients "What matters to you?" (WMTY) helps patients stay engaged in their healthcare and promotes patient-centered practice, which is essential for effective Chronic Care Management.
"A central goal is to involve older people more in transitional care and make care more patient-centered. Asking, “What matters to you?” (WMTY) has become a popular way of approaching the implementation of patient-centered care." - Olsen et. al., National Institutes of Health
Providing patient-centered care is important because it results in better outcomes for patients and greater satisfaction with care. Asking “What Matters to You?” supports this by putting the patient voice at the center of care; focusing on what matters to them.
In summary, asking patients "What matters to you?" strengthens the patient-provider relationship, improves health outcomes, empowers patients, and supports a holistic approach to healthcare. It recognizes that every patient is unique, with distinct values, goals, and needs, and it allows healthcare providers to tailor care plans accordingly.
The sky's the limit on what you can do for your patients!
Sources:
Ekman, E. (n.d.). How to overcome barriers to empathy in health care. Greater Good. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_overcome_barriers_to_empathy_in_health_care
Olsen, C. F., Debesay, J., Bergland, A., Bye, A., & Langaas, A. G. (2020, April 16). What matters when asking, “what matters to you?” - perceptions and experiences of health care providers on involving older people in transitional care. BMC health services research. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7164237/
Sussex Publishers. (n.d.). Empathy in health care. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/ethics-everyone/201903/empathy-in-health-care