Healthcare is nearly as much about relationships as it is about medicine. Relationships among patients, clinicians, staff and administrators all affect the delivery of care, the patient’s experience of care and the outcomes of that care. Healthcare is a journey of a thousand touch points and data points from finding a provider to refilling a prescription; each one with the potential to enhance or derail the patient’s experience.

It’s no wonder that KLAS Research called patient engagement “one of the most complex and overwhelming areas of healthcare IT” and outlined 80 different functions in the patient engagement framework along three pillars: access, partnership, and navigation. “Patient experience is the sum of all the interactions” between caregivers and patients says Dwight McBee, chief experience officer for Temple Health, a major academic medical center in Philadelphia. “Our goal is to be a real partner with our patients as we work together to achieve their optimum wellness.”

The first step in that partnership is patient engagement. Interesting. This white paper was written by pCare, an organization that partners with healthcare organizations to improve care quality, patient outcomes, and financial performance. The information isn’t new, and it isn’t necessarily innovative however it is true. Engaged residents, families, and staff make the difference. We can be “okay” or we can be “great,” it really is up to us!

Stay the course, stay strong, stay safe, mask up, and stay tuned!