Patient expectations increasingly reflect those of consumers in industries outside of healthcare. People will drop their providers if they have even one negative experience. And disappointment in bedside manner isn’t the top pain point for patients — it’s how long they have to wait to see a doctor. 

In this episode of the Memora Health Care Delivery Podcast, we speak with Tony Ambrozie, Senior Vice President and Chief Digital and Information Officer at Baptist Health South Florida. Drawing from his expertise in entertainment, finance, and healthcare, Tony talks with us about viewing patients as consumers and how digital health can pave the way for better experiences.

Digital health is advancing — but it still lags behind other industries

The past decade has witnessed leaps and bounds in digital healthcare innovation. A combination of landmark investments, the rise of COVID-19, and shifting consumer landscapes have accelerated this trajectory. 

But how does healthcare’s digital advancement stack up overall when compared with retail, travel, and hospitality? The industry still has a long way to go.

“Digital experiences and consumer experiences are nowhere near as evolved as they are in those [other] spaces … All of us experience that when we interact with our providers. Of course, those providers are intensely focused on the act of providing care. But how you get in, how you get out … it’s still not on par with other experiences,” Tony explains.

A robust digital healthcare focus is key for simplifying access and experience

Navigating care is often complex. And since many other sectors have streamlined experiences for their customers, people are left frustrated with how cumbersome their experiences can be as patients. So simplifying healthcare access should be top of mind across the industry. 

That, Tony suggests, is where digital health can play a key role.

He remarks, “In any industry today, your consumers don’t only compare you as a company to your competitors. They compare you with all the other companies that provide digital experiences … Providing care is a lot more complicated than buying something on Amazon … But there is that expectation that at least that part of getting access to care and access to information has to be simple.”

Across different sectors, companies that find ways to offer simpler, more accessible experiences to their customers are more likely to win. And healthcare will need to do the same to adapt to rapidly shifting patient needs.

Healthtech advancements might overwhelm providers with data — but healthcare AI could help

With digital health advancement comes more data. And that mounting information influx, Tony argues, might eventually overwhelm providers. But digital healthcare platforms that leverage AI — like Memora Health’s intelligent care enablement technology — could reduce that burden for clinicians.

“AI and machine learning (ML) can help with making that data stream more intelligible and picking up the message from the noise … We’re increasingly getting data all the time. The only way to make any use of it is through data insights and machine learning … That’s where we need to invest,” Tony remarks.

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