As is the case with any industry, it is important for healthcare organizations to understand the consumer of their services. What drives their engagement and what are their pain points?

During the pandemic, hospitals and health systems saw how quickly digital health and virtual care programs could be rolled out. This offered confidence and lessons to inform a more guided approach to offering a more digital patient experience that smooths areas of frustration – while not interfering with what already delights patients.

Ed Mitchell has experience strategically rolling out a digital patient experience program, with internal support, that also benefits care teams and the health system. He is director, strategic partnerships, at Advocate Health.

Mitchell, who previously worked at Meditech, will be speaking on the subject in an educational session entitled "Launching a Successful Patient Experience Program" at HIMSS25. We spoke with him to get a preview of this session.

Q. What is the overarching theme of your session, and why is it especially relevant to healthcare and health IT today?

A. The overarching theme of our session is enhancing patient engagement, with a particular focus on pediatric education. By improving patient education through engagement strategies, we can empower patients and families with accurate, accessible information and reduce misinformation.

This not only benefits patients by fostering a better understanding of their health conditions but also supports clinicians through automation and streamlined workflows, allowing them to deliver care more efficiently.

For example, a pediatrician once shared a situation where a parent, influenced by misinformation on social media, was convinced their child was diabetic after watching a TikTok video. While the parent's concern was understandable, it underscored the urgent need for trusted, evidence-based education resources to guide patients and caregivers effectively.

By prioritizing patient engagement and education, we can address these gaps, ensuring better outcomes for patients and reducing the burden on healthcare providers.

Q. What is the primary technology you will be discussing and how is it being used in healthcare in context of your session's focus?

A. The primary technology being discussed is the Xealth digital health platform, used to help integrate digital resources into Epic, the electronic health record system used by providers. In the context of this session, Xealth serves as a digital health platform managing the ordering, monitoring and data flows for our digital health programs, integrating seamlessly with our EHR to deliver patient information and resources.

Specifically for this use case, Xealth automates the delivery of materials to patients based on their visit type, directly from within the EHR workflow. This process enhances patient engagement, streamlines provider/patient communication, and ensures timely access to critical healthcare content.

In the context of pediatrics, Xealth's technology helps address misinformation and knowledge gaps by delivering accurate, digestible resources directly to parents and caregivers. For example, the goal is to steer parents away from relying on unverified sources like social media, and instead offer them trusted materials through the health system's platforms, fostering better understanding and improved outcomes.

Q. What is one of the various takeaways you hope HIMSS25 attendees will leave your session with and apply when they return home to their organizations?

A. One key takeaway I hope attendees will leave with is that simplifying technology choices and reducing technical debt are not solely about cost savings.

More importantly, these efforts unlock significant opportunities to enhance patient engagement by leveraging improved experience design strategies. This approach empowers both clinicians and patients, fostering better outcomes and more efficient care delivery.

Mitchell's session, "Launching a Successful Patient Experience Program," is scheduled for Tuesday, March 4, from 1:30-2:30 p.m. at HIMSS25 in Las Vegas.

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Email him: bsiwicki@himss.org
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