Patient Engagement

Patient Engagement

Why Health System Execs Say You Can’t Separate ‘Patient’ from ‘Consumer’

Many people don't take well to the term “healthcare consumer,” or have expressed that they prefer to be referred to as a patient rather than a consumer. But in the U.S., it’s a plain fact that people have choices when it comes to their healthcare. In this piece, three health system executives give their take on why “patient” and “consumer” are often one in the same — and why hospitals need to be mindful of this.

Health Tech

WebMD Bolsters Patient Engagement Offerings Through New Acquisition

WebMD acquired the operating assets of Healthwise, a nonprofit provider of health education content and patient engagement tools. The deal follows another acquisition WebMD made in the patient engagement space in 2020. According to Ann Bilyew, WebMD’s senior vice president of health, the company is now “the indisputable market leader in providing patient education to both providers and payers.”

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Health Tech

Artera, Hyro Launch New AI Assistant For Providers’ Websites

Patient communications platform Artera teamed up with healthcare AI startup Hyro to launch a new chatbot-style assistant for providers’ websites. Using the information already available on the provider’s website, the chatbot can answer patients’ questions 24/7. Some sample questions include “What are the office hours for the radiology department?” and “Where do I park for my visit?”

Health Tech

Sutter Health Exec: Ditch Paternalism & Focus On The ‘Accumulation of Marginal Gains’

Providers must abandon paternalism and treat patients like partners in the decision-making process when drawing up care plans, according to Chris Waugh, Sutter Health's chief design and innovation officer. Instead of prescribing a major lifestyle overhaul without considering a patient's unique life circumstances, providers should "recognize that it's about the tiny things and the accumulation of marginal gains,” he said.