information technology

Chapter 3: Help healthcare workers help patients N O V 1 0 , 2 0 2 1 . 7 . 5 M I N R E A D

COVID-19 has severely stressed doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers. In fact,

55% of frontline healthcare workers say they feel burned out when going to work these

days. Trying to meet healthcare consumers’ expectations under these conditions puts even

more strain on the workforce.

55% of frontline healthcare workers say they feel burned out when going to work these days.

Source: Kaiser Family Foundation/Washington Post Frontline Health Care Workers Survey, 2021

But better digital tools can bring much-needed support to your teams by streamlining

workflows, allowing them to accomplish more in less time and occasionally catch their

breath.

A U T O M A T E P R O C E S S E S

Automated processes help alleviate call center surges during times of emergency response

or peak time periods. Chatbots answer common questions and digital tools such as online

assessments help determine appropriate care. Agents who take the remaining calls

leverage scripts and dashboards to triage patients.

C O N N E C T S T A K E H O L D E R S T O D R I V E E F F I C I E N C I E S A N D I M P R O V E H E A L T H O U T C O M E S

An integrated CRM platform gives clinicians and support staff a consolidated, real-time view

of clinical and nonclinical insights that improve collaboration and operational efficiencies.

For example, if a patient has a complicated question and the primary doctor is unavailable,

another doctor or nurse in the practice can advise without delay. They use the latest patient

information in the console to get up to speed. If there’s a next step, like a follow-up blood

test, patients automatically get information about it on their preferred channel of

communication.

I M P R O V E E X P E R I E N C E S A N D E N G A G E W H E N E V E R , W H E R E V E R

Virtual appointments allow clinicians to reach patients from anywhere, cutting everyone’s

travel time and exposure to illnesses. Clinicians can discuss symptoms and solutions with

patients, then instantly share educational materials and prescribe medications. These

efficiencies lead to better patient outcomes.

Consider Penn State Health: Before the pandemic, their goal was to ensure the four million

Pennsylvanians in their catchment area were always 10 minutes away from primary care,

20 minutes from a specialist, and 30 minutes from an acute care hospital. When the

pandemic hit, they added instant access via telehealth appointments.

“We selected Salesforce because it’s a nimble platform that can easily adapt to our

business and workflow. It gave us a resolute system that allowed us to scale to have

thousands of people connecting to our sites,” says Cletis Earle, Senior Vice President and

Chief Information Officer.

When vaccines became available, Penn State used Health Cloud and Marketing Cloud to

launch a robust administration program within weeks. The system simplified things like

registration, scheduling, administration, vaccine management, and reporting to the

Department of Health website. When vaccine inventory was changing by the minute,

Salesforce technology showed what was available in real-time. They could send

personalized messages to eligible patients to let them know when appointments are

available.

“The pandemic has also given us a renewed sense of teamwork and community. There’s a lot to get done while fighting a pandemic, so we have to lean on each other. If we’re implementing a technology solution, we need it to be extremely collaborative — and that’s what we found in Salesforce.”

C L E T I S E A R L E

Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Penn State Health

Innovate, collaborate, and engage from anywhere

Patients want their care providers to offer the same kinds of digital tools and technology that

improve other aspects of their lives. Healthcare professionals benefit from this too. With top

technology facilitating every task, provider operations are streamlined and patients enjoy a

streamlined experience from first inquiry to final follow-up.