How personalised care can improve outcomes for patients.

14 June 2021

According to international consulting group McKinsey,  a personalised care approach can not only help patients get better outcomes, but also potentially reduce unnecessary costs.

Although the research centred on patients in the USA, there are some interesting findings which we believe could be equally applied to the UK healthcare sector.

Engaging healthcare consumers in a highly personalised way and the value it brings to all healthcare system stakeholders is increasingly important. It should come as no surprise that patients connect their care outcomes to the experience provided by clinicians and hospitals. 

Respondents were much less satisfied with their providers if they experienced high-cost unplanned follow-up care, according to customer loyalty and satisfaction measurement gathered during the research process. 

In the UK we have traditionally provided sub-optimal aftercare for self-pay patients. The focus has been on initial consultation and then procedure with a follow-up appointment some weeks after treatment. 

In order to better understand how personalisation could improve healthcare outcomes and consumer experience, McKinsey conducted consumer research to examine the practical applications of personalisation in discharge planning. This investigation included how post-admission engagement could potentially reduce unnecessary healthcare costs and readmission experiences. This research builds on two decades of work that posits how transitions of care and supported discharge programs after surgery can reduce readmissions and improve overall outcomes.

Good follow-up care such as, ensuring patients are fully informed about their conditions, physio regimes and rehabilitation programmes are adhered to, medication is taken appropriately and follow-up check ups happen at the appropriate time all lead to better outcomes.

It is disappointing that for many private patients (but particularly those that self-pay) their post discharge experience is not as fulsome as it could be.  We know that health consumers connect their care outcomes to the healthcare providers and insurance companies. It is therefore important both in terms of patient satisfaction and provider reputation that post-discharge, patients should receive information, help and support throughout their rehabilitation.

At Medmin we have acknowledged that this is something that urgently needs addressing  and therefore we are building a patient management platform that continues the doctor patient relationship beyond discharge, ensuring appropriate information and support is available for as long as it is required.

McKinsey reported that potential actions to consider should include:

1. Delivering solutions that take into account the patient’s individual needs and circumstances. Knowing more about the patient in terms of lifestyle and occupation as well as other health issues they may have – the relationships we foster between PCOs and their patients help to ensure that.
2. Enabling patients to make better choices by supplying high quality, understandable information and instructions. We already produce information rich websites for each one of our clinics as well as supplying comprehensive information packs to patients and our technology, currently in development, will enhance that offering.
3. Integrating in -person and virtual health solutions as appropriate. A third of all McKinsey’s survey respondents cited lack of sufficient post-discharge care as a driver of unplanned and potentially high-cost follow-up care. Our tech will evolve to provide a more comprehensive post-operative care solution for our patients.

We are determined to introduce a more consumer-focused approach to private health care. For many self-pay patients their first experience with going private has been a disappointing one – applying high quality customer service should be the norm rather than the exception.