The phrase “uniquely yours” isn’t just for gift shops specializing in personalized gifts—could it also apply to healthcare and the type of experiences providers give their patients?
We’re not there quite yet, but we can and should get there soon, considering consumers have grown accustomed to personalized experiences across various industries. Still, the healthcare sector has lagged due to the sensitive nature of personal health information (PHI) and the stringent industry regulations.
Despite those challenges, health systems can and must evolve to meet the growing demand for more personal connections to improve both satisfaction and outcomes. There are three focal pillars that healthcare systems should embrace when rolling out a personalization strategy: intelligent segmentation, refined context and relevance, and cutting-edge data analytics and AI.
The Power of Segmentation
Patients crave one-to-one personalization in healthcare, but the real breakthrough in efficiency and satisfaction results from intelligent segmentation. It’s a practical approach that groups patient needs, preferences and conditions in a way that delivers highly personalized care without the complexity and scaling challenges of individual customization.
Traditional, broad-stroke segmentation methods, such as using zip code data to infer healthcare needs, are outdated and ineffective. Thinking everyone in that geography has the exact healthcare needs is nonsensical, to put it mildly. Instead, healthcare must look beyond the limited data available in electronic health records (EHR) systems to understand patients as individuals.
Intelligent segmentation accounts for various factors, including lifestyle choices, behavioral patterns, and social determinants of health. By creating more nuanced patient segments, providers can tailor their services and communication strategies far more effectively—impacting both care and the customer experience.
Context and Relevance: The Cornerstone of Personalized Healthcare
Just as personalized recommendations can enhance a shopper’s journey, they can do the same for a patient’s healthcare experience. It hinges on two key factors: context and relevance.
Consider a patient recently diagnosed with diabetes. Their needs extend far beyond medication; they require a holistic care plan tailored to their unique lifestyle and conditions, which might include:
● Recommended dietary adjustments
● Personalized exercise routines
● Motivational support to navigate their new circumstances
● Educational resources specific to their language and learning style
Similarly, patients recovering from surgery could benefit from customized rehabilitation exercises based on their progress, feedback, and personal preferences. This experience provides a new level of care that genuinely understands and adapts to the patient.
By focusing on context and relevance, providers set themselves up to make every interaction with a patient meaningful and contribute to better health outcomes. This approach improves satisfaction and increases the likelihood of adherence to treatment plans and preventive measures.
Leveraging Analytics and AI for Hyper-Personalization
Intelligent data analytics and artificial intelligence have created a foundation for the future of personalized healthcare. By harnessing the power of these technologies, healthcare providers can create a new paradigm of hyper-personalized patient care.
Advanced analytics can process vast amounts of data from various sources, such as EHRs, wearable devices, or social determinants of health information. This seemingly disparate data combines to create a more comprehensive view, allowing for more accurate patient profiling and predictive modeling. In some instances, AI algorithms can analyze this data to predict patient needs even before they arise, enabling proactive rather than reactive care.
Generative AI, in particular, creates enormous potential to transform healthcare communication. It can create personalized content for patient education, tailor treatment explanations to individual comprehension levels, and even generate customized care plans. While the promise is significant, organizations should still take a measured approach. Despite generative AI’s potential, the industry must ensure accuracy, privacy, and security across patient engagements.
The goal isn’t just to use AI as a differentiator but to leverage it to make a real difference in patients’ lives and improve the efficacy of healthcare providers. When implemented thoughtfully, AI can bridge the significant gap between the wealth of available health data and highly personalized care delivery.
Now is the Time to Refine Personalization
Personalization will be increasingly critical in improving patient outcomes and satisfaction as healthcare evolves. By embracing intelligent segmentation, focusing on context and relevance, and leveraging advanced analytics and AI, healthcare providers can overcome the challenges of HIPAA compliance and PHI protection while delivering the consumer-like personalized experiences that patients seek.
The benefits of true personalization are immense. Moving forward, it’s essential to remember that the goal is not just to implement new tech for technology’s sake but to use it in ways that genuinely improve the health and well-being of individuals and communities. Ultimately, providers have the power to create a healthcare system that is more efficient, effective, humane and responsive to each patient’s unique needs.
James Schleck
James Schleck is founder and chiefstrategyofficer at Growth.Health.
