Patient Engagement: The Future of Healthcare

Communications Summit

Healthcare Communications & The Future • BDI hosted an event about how leading healthcare brands are

planning for the future, including:– Integrating big data– Innovative digital, mobile and social communications that improve patient

outcomes• Moderator: Steve Etzler, CEO/ Founder, BDI

Presented by: Sven Gierlinger, VP, Chief Experience Officer, North Shore – LIJ Health System

Presentation: Perspectives From a Hospitality Leader in Healthcare

• Gierlinger worked in hospitality until he was bedridden and then saw a huge difference between the two industries

• Patients are not customer-system centered• During his hospital stay, he felt like a person or thing of a

specified kind that one has to deal with• Patients want the highest quality care; a warm welcome;

interact with competent and nice people, have a hassle-free experience; have problems fixed quickly and effectively; and consistency.

• One of the things Gierlinger is exploring is how to select the right employees, set them up for success and continue to engage them.

Key Highlights

Raymond Russo, VP, Global Chest Pain Pathway, The Medicines Company interviewed Lee Davies, SVP Health Practice at Makovsky.

Interview: The Evolution of Patient Engagement

• Russo: Healthcare industry is one of the most regulated industries in the world, as far as what and how things are said.

• Russo: When they did direct-to-consumer advertising, they tried to educate, motivate and then activate.

• Russo: Effective communication changes behavior. Communicate and motivate patient to change behavior, such as take better care of themselves, seek healthcare providers, etc. This is patient activation.

• Davies: Social media has made patients not only recipients of messages but also communicators. They are activists, ambassadors, citizen journalists.

• Russo: Social media is great and innovative, but curious how next app is going to get patient activation and its impact.

Key Highlights

Presentation: Talking About Research Result – Patients are Our Partners

Presented by: Bill Silberg, Director of Communications, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (views are his own and not necessarily those of PCORI)

• PCORI is an independent research institute authorized by Congress through the Affordable Care Act.

• Why PCORI? Research hasn’t answered many questions that patients face.

• PCORI has three strategic goals: increase quantity, quality and timelessness of research information; speed the implementation and use of evidence; influence research funded by others.

• PCORI partners with patients on their communications efforts by featuring patient and caregiver stories on their website.

• Lesson learned: Sometimes you need to just “shut up and listen.”

Key Highlights

Presentation: Using Social Media in the Age of ACA and HIPAA Regulations

Presented by: Joanna Belbey, Social Media and Compliance Specialist, Actiance, Inc.

• 1 in 3 Americans use the Internet to research medical conditions. (Pew Research)

• Risk of using an internet-connected device liked Google Glass is security and privacy of patient data risks.

• If you employ technology, how do you protect it from leaking out? How do you protect frontline staff from themselves?

• If you are going to allow frontline staff to use social media, then you need to create an appropriate policy. This may take six months.

• Here’s an action plan for social media compliance: protect patient info; keep adequate records; create an appropriate use policy and train employees; create content strategy; supervise and monitor.

Key Highlights

Panel: Painting the Starting Line Together: How Industry and Patients Must Partner to Define Engagement Goals

Todd Kolm, Senior VP of Strategy and Insights at WEGO Health moderated a discussion with patient influencer MarlaJan DeFusco and Pfizer communications expert Carrie Goldstein.

Key Highlights • DeFusco: Patients need to be educated and know what kind

of medicines they are taking. It is important for them to know how the medicine will affect them.

• Defusco: Take the time to educate healthcare and pharmaceutical professionals, and that would really help patients.

• DeFusco: Patients with chronic illnesses get lost in the transition between childhood and adulthood.

Presentation: Engaging Patients Online to Improve Market Insight

Presented by: Lance Hill, CEO, Within3

• Within3 is the leader in healthcare professional digital collaboration solutions.

• For pharmaceutical companies, the need for insight from an expanding set of stakeholders is a reality.

• The patient perspective needs to be deeply ingrained into any healthcare strategy.

Key Highlights

Presentation: Rite Aid Engages & Empowers Patients With Wellness Programs

Presented by: Jocelyn Konrad, VP healthcare initiatives, Rite Aid

• Rite Aid acquired Health Dialog and RediClinic as part of their wellness initiatives.

• Rite Aid’s goal with its wellness programs is to improve outcomes and reduce costs.

• It came up with the Health Alliance program to help interact with patients.

• The Health Alliance program is getting rave reviews from patients and physicians.

Key Highlights

Written by Polina Opelbaum, editor of ProfNet, a service that helps journalists connect with expert sources.

To read more from Polina, check out her blog on ProfNet Connect.