Intro: The following SHSMD Podcast is a production of DoctorPodcasting.com.

Bill Klaproth (host): On this edition of the SHSMD Podcast, we talk about how to achieve maximum patient engagement through connected care. So, how do you do that? Well, let's find out what Jamie Shiels and Kelly Jo Golson from Advocate Health. They presented on this very topic at this year's 2023 SHSMD Connections Conference in Chicago. So, you missed the session? Not to worry, because we're going to tell you about it and you're going to learn. It's going to be great coming up right now.

Host: This is the SHSMD Podcast, rapid insights for healthcare strategy professionals in planning, business development, marketing, communications, and public relations. I'm your host, Bill Klaproth. In this episode, we talk with Kelly Jo Golson, Executive Vice President, Chief Brand Communications, and Consumer Experience Officer for Advocate Health; and Jamie Shiels, Senior Vice President, Consumer and Digital Experience for Advocate Health. And Advocate Health was created earlier this year by the combination of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health. It is the third largest not-for-profit health system in the US, serving 6 million unique patients with the support of 150,000 teammates, 27,000 physicians, and 42,000 nurses. That's pretty darn big. All right, thank you for letting me know that, Bill.

So, let's talk with Jamie and Kelly Jo. They presented at this year's 2023 SHSMD Connections Annual Conference. Their topic, How to Achieve Maximum Patient Engagement Through Connected Care. Jamie and Kelly Jo, welcome to the SHSMD Podcast.

Jamey Shiels: Thanks for having us, Bill. Really appreciate it.

Kelly Jo Golson: Yeah. Great to be back with you, Bill.

Host: Absolutely. Jamie and Kelly Jo, always good to have you on the SHSMD podcast. So, SHSMD Connections 2023, another great event, and I know you did an awesome session talking about achieving maximum patient engagement through connected care. Jamie, if I could start with you, could you give us the cliff notes of your session?

Jamey Shiels: Thanks, Bill. You know, at a high level, what we set out to do is really, one, identify these five leading trends that we're seeing in the market and how they're informing our strategy as we move forward, especially with looking at how do we use data to improve engagement and outcomes, really personalization and individual programming designed on that data, how do you use identity to connect those different systems into a single experience so that you're delivering a seamless end-to-end opportunity for consumers. And at the end of the day, how does all that fit together into a larger platform strategy that brings the pieces together, takes friction out, and really makes it a seamless experience for the consumer as they're looking to engage with the organization. That's the framework we used based on these five trends that Kelly Jo was going to share that really frame up what we've been working on and where we're headed.

Kelly Jo Golson: You know, I'm going to add to that just on the simplest of terms is I think one of the things that many of us in healthcare realize is the actual delivery of the clinical care. It's really well done. The relationship that patients are able to create an experience with the clinicians is second to none. There's always ways to improve, and obviously we're first and foremost a safe clinical enterprise, so that remains front and center. But it's all those things that are happening on the front end and back end of care. It's that connectivity that we should, must, can do better in healthcare delivery. And that was really the focus on the presentation.

Host: So, when you both talk about front end and back end, Jamie, you mentioned a single digital experience, can you share then, Jamie, what you've done in Advocate Health to deliver this new digital experience, incorporating the front end and the back end and a single-user experience? How have you personalized these health and wellness journeys?

Jamey Shiels: Yeah. We really started with consumer insights and understanding how consumers engage with healthcare and then moved upstream a little bit. When you're happy and well, what does that look like? And then as Kelly Jo mentioned, when we pick you up after that clinical experience, how do we help you connect the dots?

So from the insights, we really focused our activity on building out what we've called the LiveWell Platform and Advocate Aurora. And that is a digital experience, both mobile and web, and it's also connected into our call centers. And the intent there is whether you call, click, or go, that we're delivering you a consistent experience, whether it's for finding a physician, whether it's for scheduling, virtual visits. Again, we want to take the friction out of the system, meet that consumer preference. Someone may prefer to be on mobile, some may prefer to call, some may do that heavy lifting from a web browser, but making sure that all of those pieces are connected.

The second part of that is really looking at we have this data about you and it's not just clinical EHR data. We have marketing CRM systems and other data sets and we've been working to connect those dots behind the scenes to deliver that personalization. It's one thing at login to present your name on a screen, but how can we look at more individual programming based on that data? And that's allowed us to introduce, in addition to the clinical pieces, health and wellness data like guided meditations and healthy recipes, health risk assessments that allow us to better understand how to guide your care through the organization.

So, bringing those pieces together has really allowed us to deliver that cohesive experience. The digital front door term is a complicated one. It turns out there's not a single front door, but multiple doors that consumers enter through. So, we're doing our best to acknowledge that and onboard them into relationship with us, regardless of the door they're coming through.

Kelly Jo Golson: Yeah, I would love to add to this, is healthcare providers across the country have certainly come to terms with we are shifting from being in the business of sick care to well care We are called to, you know, our shift into ACOs and population health and the continuity of care and realizing when we build that meaningful relationship with consumers on the front end and the back end. And frankly, before they're in need of care is when there's really some gold in what we're able to do of really helping individuals live their fullest lives. And really, what it comes down to in order to do that, it's creating that easy button.

 As Jamie articulated, using the data and the insights. But it's really creating that simple, personalized way for consumers to connect with us, whether they call, click or go in a way that's simplified. And ultimately, that not only drives better outcomes, it also drives efficiency, growth, brand loyalty, all of those type of things in a really efficient way.

Host: The easy button. I love it. It's a great visual to apply to what you're talking about. I love how you said, Jamie, that you're working on a consistent user experience. And Kelly Jo, you said we're going from sick care to well care. I just think that really is a great phrase and a great way to look at it.

So, let me ask you this, we're talking about this single digital experience and, Jamie, you mentioned, you know, we've got everything from guided meditation to health recipes. It sounds like you're incorporating everything into this one experience. There's probably wayfinding on it and all that stuff. So Jamie, how do you connect disparate systems into a single user experience?

Jamey Shiels: The secret sauce there, Bill, is the identity. In a lot of organizations, when you log into their platforms, you're using an identity, that login that is really based out of an EHR, right? And that's designed to keep track of the clinical experiences. So, our strategy is really looking at elevating that user identity, that profile above the EHR, so that becomes the bridge that starts to connect these different systems. So, think of it in a corporate environment like single sign-on, right? You use that one email to sign on to multiple systems. So, that's the first piece of the puzzle, is kind of liberating the identity from the EHR and bringing it forward as a differentiator because that then allows us to say when you log into a third party application, that identity can be used to build that bridge, navigate the exchange of the appropriate data that, you know, we don't want it all, but we want some of it so we can at least make that handoff. So, we use that as the framework. We're pulling in appropriate features and functionalities to integrate that experience.

But if you're going to do like heavy lifting with a third party digital health app or a digital therapeutic, that identity allows us to make that a more effective handoff between the two applications. So, that identity is really a foundational piece in orchestrating the overall experience and can't be done theoretically using that core EHR data, because frankly, You want to keep the clinical data and the user data segregated or separate on some level for a variety of privacy, security, and trust reasons. But that identity is really foundational to start to know who you are, we're connecting the dots for you, we're going to help you move between systems or move through the pieces that we're integrating into the platform, and that's what really drives that personalization.

Kelly Jo Golson: the, technology is the great stuff to talk about and Jamie does that so well. But I will say that there's also a lot of internal operational moves in order to do this and to connect those disparate systems. I can remember 20 years ago where all of this digital experience, consumer experience was really born, built and bred out of one singular department. Now, it's become a digital world, not necessarily a digital team. So, there is a lot of internal structure and governance. Jamie mentioned digital therapeutics, being intentional about creating that digital therapeutics council. So instead of individual sites, service lines, physician groups, introducing these disparate systems, tools, apps, everything runs through a central system. And that's been just as much of an important step in building our strategy forward as the digital and the technology partner selection has been.

Host: So if everything runs through a central system, if you will, how do you incorporate data into that, or do you incorporate data into that to improve engagement and outcomes?

Jamey Shiels: The data piece is hugely important on a variety of fronts. As Kelly Jo was saying, it's not just a consumer strategy and how it enables that. You've also got the security of the data and an organizational strategy around how we manage that. And frankly, data, the key underpinning there is trust. Consumers are willing to give us a lot of data if we can deliver the experience. But we have to make sure that we secure that data and manage it in a very, very positive way to maintain that trust. So when you look at it, we're really paying close attention to things like consumer data platform. Again, you've got a clinical data platform in an EHR or some other system. You may have data, claims data or revenue cycle data. We believe it's critical to have some type of consumer data platform that helps to collect and manage that first and second party data, marries that with the other systems, and allows for, one, the appropriate separation of that data; but, two, the appropriate blending of that data so we can actually deliver that experience.

And that, like Kelly Jo was saying, crosses multiple departments. It's not necessarily owned just by a consumer experience team. But if we're truly going to get a 360-degree view of that consumer, you are going to need a consumer data platform that holds the relevant marketing interaction, other data that you can then combine with the appropriate clinical systems and other systems to really deliver true data-driven programming around that individual.

So, CDPs are a really popular thing right now, really starting to find a place in healthcare. But again, it has to be done in a very careful, thoughtful way, especially as you look at tracking and how you use that data. But again, our consumer research, our consumer insights has shown us that consumers are willing to hand over voluntarily quite a bit of data if we can use that to provide value to them in a secure and trustworthy way.

Host: Yeah, that's really good, Jamie. So, Kelly, let me ask you this, and Jamie was just talking about these consumer data platforms, if you will, and tying this all together. So then, Kelly Jo, what capabilities are needed to advance a platform strategy, if you will, in healthcare?

Kelly Jo Golson: We really look at this with five key trends, five key elements of a strategy. And frankly, there's a lot of different players that are further along on one or two of these. Again, the secret sauce is when you can knit all five of them together. And these are all ones we've touched on. But just to summarize, you know, it starts with identity. Health systems, we, in our viewpoint, really need to own that consumer identity to drive a seamless and connected experience. It starts there. The second is personalization. Creating those unique user types to really create the opportunities that are going to ultimately improve engagement, approve adoption, and drive the improved outcomes. The third that we've just touched on is the care journey orchestration. Using data-driven programming, it's going to move the patient in a meaningful way through the specific care experiences.

The fourth trend that we're seeing is around consumer data platform. It's how, again, as Jamie had shared, we securely collect, manage, and scale this first party data to support these ultimate capabilities. And then, the fifth thing that we could do a whole session with you on is AI. How we're using generative AI. We know it's forecasted to have the greatest impact on marketing and customer service, and we're just beginning to scratch the surface, and frankly, doing so with caution. Because as Jamie trust is paramount, trust with our patients, trust with our clinicians. And so, we want to make sure we're being really thoughtful. But clearly, there's going to be a lot of movement and adoption in the AI space that's going to underscore the move in all of these areas.

Host: So, the secret sauce, I love it, another secret sauce. So, identity, personalization, care journey orchestration, consumer data platform, and you said it, AI. You just came out and said it. You had to say AI, didn't you? Now, I've got a thousand questions for you. No, I'm kidding. But, you're right, we do have to be cautious with it. But I like how you're thinking and thinking of how do we adopt this safely into our platform, is that correct?

Kelly Jo Golson: Absolutely.

Host: All right. Well, let me ask you this. You guys do such a great job at Advocate Health, for someone that wants to start this type of care personalization, if you will, you're talking about LiveWell app, where does somebody get started with this? I know that's a big question, but is there a way to condense that or distill that down, Jamie? Let me start with you.

Jamey Shiels: It's a great question and I think that the first foundational element is your organization willing to embrace the consumer at the core level. Data from McKinsey and Gartner and others shows that consumer-first or consumer-led organizations across industries, not just healthcare, outperform their peers. So one, that having that core strategy in place.

And I think the second is whether it's using the five trends that we've shared with you, you start small and build from the foundations that you have. If you're a clinical organization, you have some type of patient portal that's available to you through your EHR, are you leveraging that? Are you maximizing that opportunity? And then, looking at these trends, build that roadmap out in a meaningful way that allows you to build on those core capabilities.

But hopefully, we're to a point where most healthcare organizations understand the value of being consumer-first and consumer-led in that respect and then, building that roadmap. And I think also, as Kelly Jo articulated earlier, you can't do it on your own. You have to do it in partnership with operations. You have to do it in partnership with your physician, and your physicians in your organization and your IT groups. So, it is a collaborative effort, but bring that vision forward and really look at how you can leverage the assets you have, move in with identity, because that really does start to unlock a lot of these other capabilities and then build that operating model as you move forward.

Host: I think that is very well said. Kelly Jo, any thoughts on that?

Kelly Jo Golson: I think a lot of it goes back to data, which has been something we've talked about over and over. But I think being armed with those key data points not only best practices across industry and in healthcare, I think that that's something we must do, is look outside of industry for some of those motivating strategies and learnings that we can bring inside the industry. But just within your own space, what are some of those consumer failures? How long are people waiting on hold on your call center? How many different phone numbers are you forcing them to call? How many different apps are you forcing them to download? How long does it take for them to get in to see an appointment with a specialist? What percentage of your appointments can go through self-service? It's really arming yourself with those data points internally. And then, gathering the consumer insights of what an exceptional experience could do to not only grow brand loyalty, but also to improve outcomes and reduce expenses. And then, the third step that Jamie has hit again, it's building that internal coalition, grabbing partnership through IT, through medical group, through operations, and really getting that group of ambassadors that are committed to consumer first and really will become your partners in creating meaningful change.

Host: I love that, consumer-first. That's just a really simple way to think about it. And you even said, embrace the consumer is the first thing you do, Jamie and Kelly Jo. Thank you so much. This has really been fascinating. I appreciate your time today. Thank you.

Kelly Jo Golson: Thank you, Bill.

Jamey Shiels: Thank you. Appreciate it.

Host: And once again, that's Jamie Shiels and Kelly Jo Golson from Advocate Health. And please join us at SHSMD Connections 2024-- write it in your calendar now-- next October in Denver, Colorado. October, Denver, 2024. Write it down. See you there. And if you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels. And please make sure you hit the subscribe or follow button to get every episode. And to access our full podcast library for other topics of interest to you, visit SHSMD.org. This has been a production of Doctorpodcasting. I'm Bill Klaproth. See ya!