In the last week I have been exposed to some things in the healthcare sector that have left me wondering. No, I did not get some rare disease but what I did get was a new insight into being digital that I want to share with you.
The first was related to someone I know who is in their late seventies. This person needed to complete a digital application form and was asked to do this online. While this person does have a computer, it is used mainly for email and the creation of an occasional word document promoting some event or another. This person attempted to comply but was confused about how to move forward and certain information being requested, that had not initially been supplied. When asked if this form could be sent by mail for completion, the answer was no, we are now digital and everything is now done this way. Of course this made me think, what if this person had no computer or access to one, would this facility then refuse treatment? What is the alternate process?
The second encounter was with my daughter. She was experiencing some issues and asked if I would bring her to the Emergency Room. When we arrived, she presented her insurance card which doubles as a debit card for her flexible spending account. This I thought was a great use of technology. One card covers all. The person at the desk then began typing the information from the card into her application. I asked why she could not just swipe the card and was told that if she did that, it would deduct from the spending account. There was no way to just capture patient and insurance information from it by swiping. This caused me to groan a bit to which she commented, “I know, you would think with the technology today, a swipe would be all you need.” She is right.
In my view these are two of many examples where technology used is not properly planned to meet the needs of the customer, which in this case is a patient and the admitting clerk. In the first example, the concept of digital, which is driven by mandates in the healthcare industry, do not in an obvious way support those who do not have or have limited access to technology. How would someone be able to complete the required information if this person has no computer? There is a basic assumption being made that everyone, everywhere has a computer today or at least access to one and knows how to use it. Wrong assumption.
In the second example, I admire the combination card where not only does it provide the insurance information it also serves as the debit card. Yet even at that, it falls short by not allowing the service provider to simply swipe the card to collect all of the patient insurance information required. Did they not think of that when they created it? Again, what is the process and how could it be leveraged to provide the right information to the right people?
I applaud these organizations for the directions and progress made, but feel they are falling short. When asked if the form can be completed by mail, the response should be if you do not have a computer or are uncomfortable, we would mail the form to you or help you complete it here. I know this is not technology related more than customer service at this point but the fact remains technology was placed at the center of the discussion. Even if the form is completed by hand, there are devices and software that will scan them, extract the patient information and put it in the right places. In the second case, why can’t the card be used for both? It only makes sense that when you swipe the card it provides you with the information you require. Perhaps a card that includes a chip would be of benefit here. My point is that in both cases, there is room to improve further by stepping back and looking at the process end to end, and understanding the needs of the players.
If you are ready to move forward and are finding yourself stuck or unfocused and are not sure where to begin or what to do next, seek professional assistance and/or training to get you started. Be sure to investigate AIIM's Enterprise Content Management training program.
And be sure to read the AIIM Training Briefing on ECM (authored by yours truly). Click on the image to download and read.
What say you? Do you have a story to tell? What are your thoughts on this topic? Do you have a topic of interest you would like discussed in this forum? Let me know.
Bob Larrivee, Director and Industry Advisor – AIIM
Email me: blarrivee@aiim.org
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