9 Ways To Boost Patient Recruitment For Health IT Tools

By Cortney Nicolato, VP, marketing and strategy, Get Real Health

For hospitals investing in technology tools to help patients better manage their care, the question of how best to get – and keep – patients engaged is an ongoing challenge. We can offer these great tools, but if the patients aren’t using them, then what’s the point? I can tell you firsthand that it’s not uncommon to set up and launch a patient application for a hospital, only to have the organization left wondering, “Now what?”

Why It’s Important
It goes without saying many hospital patients feel overwhelmed with all the information they’re given, particularly at discharge. They’ve been in the hospital for hours, if not days or weeks, probably experiencing some fear and anxiety during their stay.

When the nurse or doctor gives them their discharge instructions – handing over a ream of paper in the process – it’s no surprise that few patients really absorb what’s being said to them. So it’s not uncommon for patients to go home, neglect their self-care, and end up readmitted. In fact, one in five elderly patients is readmitted within 30 days of leaving.

The federal government estimates the cost of readmissions for Medicare patients alone to be $26 billion annually. No hospital wants to see a patient come back with health complications, especially now that CMS is penalizing them with fines for those readmissions within 30 days.

Patient engagement technologies can help reduce readmissions by reminding patients what they should or shouldn’t be doing to stay healthy. If a hospital can sign a patient up for the program before they ever step foot outside the hospital, then when they get home have an email, reminder or alert waiting for them, that reiterates everything the doctor or nurse told them to do to take care of themselves. Technology can serve as the bridge between hospital and home.

But once again the question is: How do you get patients signed up and using the technology? Planning is key. Once a patient engagement product is installed, expect someone to meet with the hospital staff to discuss next steps: How will they integrate the portal into their workflow? How will they introduce it to patients? How will they educate patients about the privacy and security of their data? As a result, many hospitals are finding unique ways to get patients involved and keep them involved over time.

1. Develop a patient engagement plan
   The most important element in launching a patient engagement tool is to create a patient engagement plan. Much like a marketing plan, a patient engagement plan outlines the tactics and goals for recruiting patients specifically to the portal. As with all plans, it’s critical to set measurable goals for success and review progress regularly.

2. Get clinician buy-in
   Needless to say, if clinicians aren’t onboard, the success of the patient engagement portal is at risk. Patients look to clinicians for guidance, and using a patient engagement application is no exception. Incentivize the clinicians to promote the tool in their discussions with patients. Offer lunch-and-learns about the portal that highlight the value the portal brings to both patients and clinicians.

3. Ask the patients
   Be sure to solicit feedback from patients who enroll in the portal – what do they like, when do they use it, how do they use it, etc. Use patient testimonials in your promotional campaigns to encourage other patients to enroll. Let them share their interest and excitement about how the application supports them and makes healthy living easier. Create a patient committee in your facility that helps you promote the portal.

4. Use mobile outreach
   Two-thirds of Americans have smartphones, spending an average of 34 hours per month using mobile apps and browsers. It’s no wonder that mobile tools are a great way to get people engaged quickly and easily. For example, a QR code that’s readily visible in a doctor’s office can encourage enrollment while people wait for an appointment instead of playing games on their device or browsing Facebook. Tablets in waiting rooms so people can sign up also encourages enrollment.

5. Create an enrollment process
   A community hospital network headquartered in Boston has implemented a comprehensive enrollment process in which enrollment coordinators go to every patient’s bedside with a laptop to help them get started with their portal. As a result, they have a 15 to 20 percent enrollment rate – which is no small feat considering they serve about one million patients annually.
   
   Another large east coast hospital system has a similar bedside enrollment program, and also goes to physicians’ offices to enroll ambulatory patients. The coordinators have tablets so they can review with patients how the portal works and sign them up while they wait for their appointment.

6. Incentivize enrollment and use of the application
   Giving patients an incentive for signing up is another useful tool. A hospital in Pennsylvania offers patients gift cards for enrolling at the hospital. Volunteers introduce the portal to patients and explain to them why it’s important. If patients sign up at the given time, they are sent a gift card. It’s a small way of communicating to patients just how important it is that they take advantage of the new technology – and everyone likes a free gift!
   
   Gaming, which rewards usage, is another tool typically used to increase engagement – similar to frequent flier programs that airlines use. For example, users might receive “badges” to display their level of usage (e.g., gold, silver, bronze), encouraging more engagement. Or users might get notified if their profile is not 100 percent complete to create a sense of urgency in participation.

7. Use animation
   Animation isn’t just for kids. Patients of all ages relate well to visual output, particularly things that are creative and funny. Creating animated information videos for patients is a creative way to get people to pay attention – and enroll.
   
   For example, one hospital got tired of having to reschedule surgeries (and losing money in the process) because patients would show up for surgery without fasting the night before. So HealthNutz Media created an animated adaptation of Goldilocks and the Three Bears to explain why people aren’t supposed to eat before surgery. It conveyed the importance of the issue in a lighthearted, easy-to-relate-to way. A similar strategy can be used to demonstrate to patients why enrolling in a patient engagement technology program is critical to their health management, and how easy it is to use from home.

8. Utilize existing marketing assets
   Does your hospital or practice have existing marketing tools and resources that patient recruitment efforts can piggyback on? For example, are there TVs at the patients’ bedsides with a hospital channel? If so, this is a great way to get the word out to patients about the technology available to them to help them manage their care.

9. Don’t forget traditional outreach
   It’s easy in today’s high-tech world to shrug off traditional marketing and outreach efforts as too “old school,” but they shouldn’t be discounted – particularly when targeting older populations. Although a direct-mail piece isn’t likely going to be as effective as a face-to-face meeting in the hospital, it can still play an important role in reinforcing the availability of the technology. Printed marketing materials that can be handed out at community events such as health fairs are also a valuable way of reaching existing and potential patients. Inserts in mailers, banners, ads on websites, adword campaigns and social media promotion should all be part of the enrollment campaign, as well.

The important thing to remember is that there’s no secret sauce that is sure to get every patient to enroll. The trick is to be creative and to use multiple outlets to reach patients (and potential patients) everywhere they might be: in the hospital, in doctors’ offices and in the community. At every turn, ask yourself, “What is the best way to make enrollment easy and fun?” After all, the more patients who sign up, the more patients who can be helped to live healthier, more engaged lives.

Want to learn more best practices and in-depth strategies to recruit and onboard patients to your portal?
Join Dr. Farzad Mostashari and panelists from New York-Presbyterian, Steward Health Care and Get Real Health for a webinar on this topic December 3rd from 12:00-1:30 p.m. EST. In this webinar you’ll discover:

• Tools and tactics for patient onboarding, including marketing strategies, training advice, and incentive ideas ;
• how to build your portal’s staying power and improve patient retention;
• and real-world examples and best practices used by two innovative hospital systems that are paving the way in patient engagement.

Register at http://bit.ly/GRHWebinar to reserve your spot.