Health systems’ digital patient access initiatives are ramping up, and while the majority of providers want to participate in them, they often feel left out of the process.
This was a key finding in a new report from Kyruus, titled “Provider Perspectives on Digital Access,” and which was based on results from a survey of 200 primary care and specialty physicians. The study was designed to uncover provider viewpoints on health system digital patient access initiatives.
For example, 91 percent of those providers who are listed on their health system’s website say they want to be more involved in the management of their profiles. Overall, the survey findings indicated that providers recognize the organizational imperative for health systems to offer a more modern consumer experience online, but want more control and communication around related projects.
About 90 percent of respondents acknowledged that their find-a-doctor profile is very or extremely important for patient acquisition and referrals, but almost half were not involved in the creation of their personal profile. That led to about 41 percent saying that they are dissatisfied or only somewhat satisfied with how their profile represents them, with accuracy and lack of differentiation among their top concerns.
The study suggested that engaging providers proactively in digital initiatives can help health systems engender their support and boost the effectiveness of efforts to enhance patient access. Additional noteworthy findings from the report included:
- 63 percent of providers think patient ratings and reviews are very or extremely important for patient acquisition, while others question their validity and relevance
- 64 percent of respondents are not yet offering online scheduling despite the fact that almost half of this group is at least somewhat interested in implementing it
- 94 percent of providers see room for improvement when it comes to communication from their health system around patient access initiatives
“There’s a prevalent misconception that physicians are resistant to change, particularly when it comes to digital innovation,” Graham Gardner, M.D., CEO at Kyruus, said in a statement. “The survey findings dispel this notion and demonstrate that they are actually eager to help manage their digital presence. This aligns with what we observe at health systems across the country—proactive clinical engagement is key to the success of digital access initiatives.”
