NOVEMBER 2023CIOAPPLICATIONS.COM9TRANSFORMING THE DIGITAL HEALTHCARE EXPERIENCE ­ STARTING FROM RURAL AMERICA Eats since I had been traveling all day.Making a payment for the ride or the meal was a single-click option.So just six taps on my smartphone, maybe 10, and I traveled seamlessly halfway across the country­ 1,245 miles from Sioux Falls, South Dakota to the door of my digitally prepared hotel in Scottsdale, Arizona.Great digital experiences make complex things simple, and we know that healthcare can be overly complex. Imagine for a moment a digital health experience that was just as simple, smooth and personalized--one that empowered patients to take control of their health by accessing care where, when and how they want and need it. That is the future of digital we are focused on at Sanford Health ­ for the more than 1.5 million patients we serve across 250,000 square miles in the Dakotas, Minnesota, and Iowa.The opportunity to engage with health care consumers through digital solutions cannot be overstated. According to Pew Research, 85 percent of adults in the U.S. own a smartphone. While two-thirds of the communities we serve are rural, our patients' expectations are not all that different from those who live in urban areas. For example, 7 in 10 of our patients would prefer to make an appointment online or through an app rather than calling the clinic for a regular check-up/wellness visit or prescription needs. Nationally, 78 percent of consumers prefer scheduling appointments digitally according to Experian Health. Cedar's 2019 Healthcare Consumer Experience Study revealed that 41 percent of consumers would switch to a different provider who offered a better digital experience. So, how do we create an even better digital health experience forour patients? First, we need to listen. What are their expectations and preferences? What are the friction points and barriers that are preventing them from seeking care or maintaining their health?These insights will help us to identify the right solutions for the right problems ­ and make health care more accessible, seamlessand equitable. At Sanford Health, we call this "outside-in" ideation. If we build a new digital experience around our patients' needs, they are more likely to comeon the journey with us, and we are more likely to see improved health outcomes as a result. As part of our commitment to transforming the health care experience for the communities we serve across the upper Midwest, Sanford Health has launched a $350 million virtual care initiative to expand access to convenient, high-quality health care.Patients will be able to access on-demand urgent care, behavioral health care and primary care ­ just like they can order groceries online to be delivered at their doorstep within two hours. We expect to transition more than 350,000 outpatient visits a year to care from home, reach more than 11 million lives and extend care to more than 275 clinics across the Midwest.One of the goals of our virtual care initiative is to make virtual visits possible within 24 hours for anyone in our care footprint who needs access to a mental health provider. Our patient satisfaction survey results show patients want a choice when it comes to scheduling a virtual or in-person visit. In fact, one in 5 behavioral health appointments scheduled today with a Sanford Health provider is a virtual visit (21%), and patient satisfaction is slightly higher for behavioral health virtual visits compared to in-person visits. We are optimistic about the future. We believe rural America is uniquely positioned to lead the way indelivering a consumer-focused digital health care experience that meets the needs and preferences of all those we serve no matter where they live or the challenges they face. Great digital experiences make complex things simple. A digital health experience can be just as simple, smooth, and personalized to empower patients to take control of their health by accessing care where, when, and how they want and need it
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