Interoperability and patient experience: A tale of two patients

Consider the following situations…

Patient A arrives at her hospital’s cardiology department for evaluation of heart palpitations. Understandably anxious, the patient is nonetheless asked at multiple points during the appointment to complete the same paperwork because staff cannot access it electronically. During a follow-up visit several weeks later, a physician can’t locate lab results in the electronic health record. As a result, she must undergo the same tests she underwent during her initial encounter. Fortunately, the patient learns that her symptoms can be treated by modifying her diet and getting more exercise. Nevertheless, frustrated with the duplicated paperwork and higher out-of-pocket costs because of the unnecessary test, she starts questioning the quality of her care. She expresses her irritation and concern with family and friends, leading to negative perceptions of the hospital—and potentially causing those potential patients to seek other facilities. The patient also communicates her displeasure through the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS)¹.

Now consider Patient B, who also visits his own hospital’s cardiology department for evaluation of heart palpitations. Also understandably anxious, but unlike Patient A, Patient B is asked just once to complete one set of electronic forms. The data, along with all other information collected during his appointment, is stored in the hospital’s electronic health record. During a follow-up visit several weeks later, the physician is able to access the test results and other data from the patient’s initial visit. He leaves his productive visit with an action plan to modify his diet and get more exercise. Happy with the quality of his care, the patient communicates his satisfaction with family and friends, leading to positive perceptions of the hospital — and potentially leading other patients to visit the hospital for their own care. The downstream benefits may multiply as the patient communicates his satisfaction through hospital and insurance company surveys.

As this hypothetical tale of two patient experiences in two hospitals clearly shows, the level of interoperability within a hospital can have major effects on patients’ overall experience and perception of care quality — regardless of the actual care outcome. It can help to review your hospital’s interoperability levels to see if they are capable of meeting the demands and expectations of today’s patients.