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 Today in Health IT, we're discussing texting the CEO proves wildly popular at Banner Health. My name is Kate Gamble. I'm Managing Editor at This Week Health, and I'm joined by Sarah Richardson, President of Community Development. Sarah, welcome to the show. Hello, Kate. So today we're diving into an innovative patient engagement initiative that's been making waves in healthcare.

Banner Health's Text the CEO program has transformed patient feedback mechanisms, allowing real time communication between patients and hospital leadership. And this program started as a pilot in one hospital and rapidly expanded to over 125 locations, including their hospitals, urgent care clinics, and ambulatory centers.

Patients can now directly share their experiences by texting CEO. Or scanning a QR code with their feedback reaching top executives promptly. And the fact that it took off so quickly shows that there really is a thirst for this. And this type of access to the CEO isn't exactly new. We have seen it play out in other industries, but it is somewhat novel to healthcare.

So let's dive into that and break down some of the key highlights of this initiative and their significance for healthcare CIOs, as well as the industry at large. Yes, the first highlight is the shift from traditional paper based feedback to digital real time system. So this change enables immediate responses to patient concerns, which enhances the satisfaction and trust.

And for CIOs, it underscores the importance of integrating user friendly digital tools that are streamlining communication. And let's look at the second highlight, which is that rapid scalability. So expanding from a single hospital to 125 locations showcases the potential for digital solutions to be implemented system wide efficiently.

And this scalability is crucial for CIOs aiming to deploy impactful technologies across multiple sites.

And then the next highlight, which is our third one, it's direct access to leadership. This is allowing patients to communicate directly with the CEO and that's fostering transparency and accountability.

So this approach. Can lead to improve patient experiences and offers the CIO is a model for leveraging technology to bridge gaps between patients and decision makers. And I have to throw in there too, that it's also going to foster that bond with the technology teams and the executives and the patient engagement teams, consumerism across the board.

So you're really bringing the patient's view into a broader scope for everyone to have an understanding of what's being said about the system and getting in front of problems early. Yeah, that's really important. And the next highlight focuses on utilizing existing patient engagement platforms. So Banner Health employed their current technology from Luma Health to support this initiative, showing how existing systems can be adapted for new purposes.

This strategy is cost effective and highlights the value of versatile digital tools and plays into one of the points we hear a lot in our interviews, which is adapting tools that you already have for different purposes. Oh, and think about the positive impact on patient care and even staff morale because real time feedback is going to allow for immediate improvements in patient care and provide opportunities for staff recognition, which is going to boost morale and engagement.

And for CIOs, this continues to illustrate how technology can enhance both patient and employee satisfaction. I also have to believe, Kate, it's going to add a layer of empowerment because when you see something happening or coming in real time, you could do something about it in the moment that is very much a hospitality lens and something that Any caregiver, anybody in the hospital wants to be able to take care of.

Yeah, I agree. You're talking about enabling feedback in real time while it's still fresh in people's minds. That's really important. And so this initiative does open the door to broader discussions about patient engagement strategies. And as we're seeing the use of SMS in healthcare has been shown to improve communication and patient outcomes.

And this is important all around.

Indeed, implementing SMS based programs can lead to higher response rates compared to traditional methods like emails or phone call.

It's more real time in that moment with the patient. And this is particularly relevant. In preventive care, because timely communication is always essential in those settings, it is and not to be the Debbie Downer. But as with any initiative, there are going to be challenges. And

it's essential to ensure that data privacy regulatory requirements are addressed and met CIOs and other leaders need to work closely with compliance teams to navigate these complexities. Additionally, while technology can enhance communication, it should not. Replace the personal touch that is vital in health care, and it's balancing digital tools with human interaction.

That's so key to maintaining patient trust and satisfaction. If anything, we continue to see technology providing more opportunities to be able to have more human and face time with the patient. So let's look at how this model can be applied in other areas of healthcare, especially seeing the success that Banner has had with it.

So what if similar feedback loops were implemented for clinician satisfaction? A lot of health systems, as we know, struggle with physician burnout and real time feedback. Could provide valuable insights into staff well being and workflow bottlenecks. That is such a great point because if hospital leaders can quickly respond to physician and nursing staff concerns, similar to how they respond to patient feedback, it could help create more responsive and engaged workforce.

But also this type of communication could help identify operational inefficiencies that may not surface in more formal surveys. I like it. We're digging deeper and another area to consider is vendor and partner relationships. And that's something that's always a priority, with our discussions, healthcare organizations work with a multitude of technology partners, suppliers, and service providers having a structured yet simple feedback system for vendors.

Maybe something as easy as text the CEO could provide valuable insight into technology implementation challenges and workflow integration gaps. Exactly. So CIOs are often overseeing massive IT projects and receiving real time feedback, either from clinicians, administrators, and even external stakeholders.

It's going to help fine tune strategies before something small becomes a major roadblock.

And let's talk about the board level conversations. So if CIOs who can present real time patient and staff feedback data to the board have a stronger case when advocating for new technologies, infrastructure investments, and workflow improvements. So instead of anecdotal evidence, they have live, actionable data to drive decision making.

And that, I would think, would make a difference. Yeah. That's when you get to make decisions in the moment. That's really powerful. So if you're listening to this and you are either a healthcare CIO, a technology leader, consider this. How can you implement real time feedback mechanisms beyond patient engagement?

Could this concept be applied to staff wellbeing, vendor partnerships, board level decision making? That ability for people to be in the know. And the only thing I would think about a little more deeply though, is if you're adding an additional tool, be aware of the fact that you already have texting.

You already probably have Slack or teams. You already have email. You already have the different phone calls. You've got all of these ways to share information. Be really thoughtful about the expectations on how this type of. messaging or platform is being utilized. Yeah, that's a really good point. Have to, always have to be careful and considerate when there are already different channels in place.

For our listeners, think about how your organization gathers and acts on patient feedback. Are there opportunities to implement real time digital solutions? Engaging patients in this matter can lead to improved care experiences and operational efficiencies. And in the competitive healthcare landscape, that could be really valuable.

It can be. And then for those that are in just leadership positions in general, consider How accessible you are to patient concerns, programs like text. The CEO are not only empowering patients, but also demonstrating a commitment to transparency and continuous improvement within your system. So I think we can say in summary that this particular initiative exemplifies how embracing digital transformation can enhance patient engagement and operational effectiveness.

It's a compelling case study for healthcare CIOs and industry leaders aiming to innovate and improve patient care. Absolutely. And embracing these types of innovations also positions healthcare organizations to better meet patient needs and stay competitive. And banner Health is in our 229 community. Mike Regan is coming to our upcoming summit and we speak with his team and we are thrilled to be able to follow these in real time from the teams that are actually making it happen.

Okay, that's all for today's discussion. We hope you found these insights valuable and consider how they might apply within your organization. And thank you for joining us. Stay tuned for our next episode where we're going to explore Ohio becoming the first state to require hospitals to publish prices.

Remember to share this podcast with a friend or colleague. Use it as a foundation for our daily or weekly discussions on topics that are relevant to you and the industry. They can subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. Sarah, thank you for joining and thank you for listening. That's a wrap.