A Human Touch To Healthcare Innovation
by Mark Kandrysawtz, VP/Chief Innovation & Marketing Officer at WellSpan Health
As we look at the future of healthcare, at WellSpan Health we do so with an eye toward innovation. We know that consumers, now more than ever, have the power of choice at their fingertips. Having a better understanding and awareness of what consumers want will play a critical role in shaping the future of the healthcare industry. We know we need to improve access to care and innovation may help to drive some of those changes. WellSpan’s mission is to improve health through exceptional care for all, and how we do that will be driven by four specific ideas.
First and foremost: relationships. We believe that at the heart of healthcare is the relationship between the patient and the provider. We want to improve that valuable time spent between the two by simplifying the physician’s workload, decreasing time spent on administrative tasks while advancing care transformation to combat staffing shortages. An example of this is our expanded use of artificial intelligence helping to log notes for physicians in patient interactions so the provider can focus more on the patient, and less typing on their computer.
Second is creating a brand experience that makes WellSpan easier to use and more personalized. Healthcare can be complicated, and we want to improve navigation as well as reduce friction points. WellSpan is the only health system in the area to deliver imaging studies to our patients in a way that is similar to lab results: fast and direct. Healthcare should be easy, not hard.
Third is using technology to redesign how we deliver care. If we can address underlying issues in healthcare like social determinants of health as well as managing chronic health concerns, we can lower cost over time. Our work with Duo Healthcare provides our patients a partnership with their physician with a focus on getting healthy, and staying healthy, rather than waiting for issues to pop up. This digital approach to primary care is another way we are innovating care models.
Finally, we want to use technology transformation to improve the business side of healthcare. Business efficiency can reduce costs through automation and self-service, while still maintaining the personal human touch where it matters most. We can engage better with our patients about their screening needs like colonoscopies or mammograms if our staff has that information at their fingertips. Levels of automation can help us do just that.
Ultimately, it’s about leaning into the latest technology and innovation to improve the human experience of healthcare. Customer care will always be a focus, but we’re also looking at innovating the world of medicine as a whole. Health systems like WellSpan Health are on the forefront of analyzing how we can leverage the next evolution of healthcare, and it’s an exciting time to see these changes unfold right here in Lancaster County.
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