Tampa General Hospital Speaks on Considering the Patient-Consumer in Hospitals & Health Systems

Hospitals and health systems are giving careful consideration to the patient experience in relation to digital solutions, and how patients evaluate the choices available to them. We spoke with Jason to gain his insight on also meeting the needs of the patient-consumer.

Clearwave CEO Mike Lamb recently interviewed Jason Swoboda, the Associate Director of Emerging Tech and Health Innovation at Tampa General Hospital. Known for their patient-centric, tech forward approach to healthcare, TGH is an award-winning 1,000+ bed teaching hospital that we’re proud to partner with.

 

Video transcript:

Mike Lamb: It seems that Tampa General’s had a real handle on seeing the patient also as a consumer for quite some time. We’ve been seeing this a lot across our experience in the healthcare spectrum as it relates to digital solutions and the convergence of how that meets the consumer experience. Can you tell me a little bit more about your thoughts about that side of it revolving around the patient as a consumer?

Jason Swoboda: I do think that it’s definitely something in the industry that more and more health systems are seeing the patient not only just as those that we serve, but as a true consumer. At Tampa General, our number one commitment is always, has always been, really, quality outcomes and quality care. It’s not enough anymore just to provide high-quality care. The landscape of the healthcare industry has really shifted to more of a consumer-centric type of educated consumer. And I think a lot of things have helped shape that environment. The shift of incentives or reimbursements, the shift for fee-for-value really has health systems reporting those quality scores. So a savvy patient or a savvy consumer can look at those quality scores and compare high deductible plans — high deductibles and higher co-pays have really put that point on patients comparing pricing. And then of course, I’m going to blame blame Amazon a little bit, really moving the needle on the convenience factor. You take all those different items into consideration, and that really does create a more savvy healthcare consumer today than, when maybe, I’m just going to say five to ten years ago. So healthcare systems are really understanding that and trying to meet the patients on that consumer level. And we have to. We have to meet all those different types of – those shifts in the consumer as a paradigm.

Next: Digital Patient Access Meeting Patients’ Needs and Behavior