To prevent patient leakage, turn to technology

At the 21st Annual Becker's ASC Conference in Chicago on Oct. 25, Scott Vold, JD, CEO and co-founder of Fibroblast, and Andrew Albert, MD, CMO and co-founder of Fibroblast, discussed patient leakage and the patient referral processes.

"If you really position yourself for success in the 21st century and you're really thinking about the care transformation, you have to go beyond the four walls of the surgery center," said Mr. Vold. "You have to get down into what's happening in the surgery center."

Mr. Vold asked why things in patient referrals are breaking down. First, he said, is a disconnect in communication between primary care physicians referring cases to specialists and specialists communicating back. Mr. Vold said only 34.8 percent of specialists report receiving patients' medical history from primary care physicians, and 62.2 percent of primary care physicians receive notifications and information from specialists.

Secondly, there are poor conversion rates, he said, citing only 50 percent of referrals actually lead to appointments. Dr. Albert referred to this poor conversion as "the abyss."

Dr. Albert and Mr. Vold said one way to combat this patient leakage is to adapt to what patients want: easy, technological access.

"Let's talk about technology and getting to know your patients," said Dr. Albert. "Patients are using technology to book their airline tickets. Patients want to consume healthcare in the way they consume everyday services."

More articles on information technology:

The Amazon.com for ASCs: Using collaborative consumption to improve the bottom line 
Should anesthesiologists worry about computers taking their jobs? 
Are your ASC's medical records vulnerable? How to avoid a Community Health Systems-style hack 

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