Most healthcare providers know outcomes improve when patients are actively engaged in the strategies and decisions regarding their care. Engaged patients are more apt to adhere to treatment and recovery plans, consume medications as prescribed and contact their providers if problems or complications arise.

While patient engagement always has been important, it is even more crucial today thanks to advances in digital technology and the increasing demands of patients for personalized and frictionless healthcare experiences. In fact, according to the September 2018 Patient Experience Study, conducted by HIMSS Analytics on behalf of Spectrum Enterprise, fewer than 50 percent of patients were extremely or very satisfied across all primary points of engagement along the patient journey.
 
“Patients are paying more out of their pockets than ever, which causes them to think more like consumers and to demand the right services, cost transparency, and more information from their health files, including notes written by their providers in EMRs,” said John Sharp, senior manager of the Personal Connected Health Alliance (PCHA), a HIMSS organization dedicated to healthcare innovation. “They have higher expectations of the healthcare system and the technology that enables them to be consumers – which further raises their expectations.”

Unfortunately, many providers are struggling to adjust to the modern era of patient engagement, according to Jan Oldenburg, a healthcare consultant and principal editor of Participatory Healthcare, published by HIMSS.

“We haven’t been keeping up, and they’re [patients] impatient with us,” Oldenburg said. “And they’re voting with their feet for programs, products and providers that actually meet their needs and expectations for digital connectivity.”

HIMSS19 will feature educational sessions, keynote speakers and special events designed to help attendees understand how to increase patient engagement, both to improve health outcomes and to remain competitive in the age of healthcare consumerism.

This guide will help attendees at this year’s HIMSS Global Conference & Exhibition to identify practice areas where patient engagement can be most effective, as well as the best tools and strategies to promote effective engagement with healthcare consumers.

Notable keynote speakers/thought leaders
HIMSS19 will feature prominent keynote speakers and other healthcare thought leaders discussing patient engagement trends, opportunities and challenges. Among these keynote speakers and conference session presenters are:

• Seema Verma, Administrator, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
• Karen DeSalvo, former National Coordinator for Health IT
• Michael Leavitt, former HHS secretary and co-founder of the CARIN Alliance
• Aneesh Chopra, former U.S. CTO and co-founder of the CARIN Alliance

These four nationally recognized healthcare policy leaders will serve as panelists in the opening keynote session (Tuesday, February 12, 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.) titled “Is Consumer-Directed Exchange Disrupting the Healthcare Marketplace?” This panel discussion will be hosted by HIMSS CEO Hal Wolf.

• Susan DeVore, President and CEO of Premier, Inc.

DeVore heads Premier’s efforts to transform healthcare through personalizing services for patients and embracing digital tools to increase patient engagement and improve outcomes. Her keynote on Friday, February 15 (8:30 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.) is titled “Healing from Within: Leading Change, Inspiring Action.”

• Adrienne Boissy, MD, Chief Experience Officer, Cleveland Clinic Health System

Boissy leads the Office of Patient Experience, designed to address and improve patient encounters with the Cleveland Clinic Health System and is author of the book, Communication the Cleveland Clinic Way: How to Drive a Relationship-Centered Strategy for Superior Patient Experience. She is scheduled to speak Monday at three sessions of the all-day Patient Engagement & Experience Summit ($350, requires separate registration): Empathy by Design (8:35 to 8:45 a.m.) The Patient Engagement & Experience Challenge (12:25 p.m. to 12:45 p.m.)
Final Thoughts and Key Takeaways (4 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.)

Must-attend sessions on engaging patients
Check out these and other HIMSS19 educational sessions focusing on patient engagement-related topics.

Remote Monitoring Shows Significant Pop Health Benefits
Tuesday, February 12 – 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., Room W315B (Session 16)
For healthcare providers treating people with chronic and costly conditions such as congestive heart failure and COPD, patient engagement can be a matter of life or death. Learn how the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) and the Ontario Telemedicine Network (OTN) are using remote patient monitoring to improve patient engagement and better manage chronic diseases.

Target audience: Chief quality officer, chief clinical transformation officer, healthcare financial professionals, population health management professional

Elevating the Patient’s Digital Experience
Tuesday, February 12 – Noon to 1 p.m., Room W311A (Session 29)
Patients now expect healthcare providers to offer the same kind of high-quality, personalized digital services they experience in their lives as consumers. But too many providers simply aren’t measuring up, leaving patients frustrated, angry and with a negative perception of the provider. This session will discuss how healthcare providers can learn to deliver frictionless, fully integrated experiences, outline the key steps providers should take as part of their digital transformation, and explore how existing digital programs can be upgraded or expanded.

Target audience: CIO, CTO, C-Suite, IT professional

Empowerment, Activation and Engagement for Digital Health
Tuesday, February 12 – Noon to 1 p.m. Room W315B (Session 33)
This interactive presentation will introduce a new model of patient empowerment, activation and engagement (EAE) within a digital health context. The result of an interdisciplinary exchange between health and computer sciences, the EAE model supports the measures most likely to produce meaningful data for software developers, clinicians and patients. Session attendees can learn how to identify the critical conceptual differences between patient empowerment, activation and engagement and through a case study, how the model is used in a real-world healthcare setting.

Target audience: Advocacy group focus on patient, family member, caregiver, clinical informaticists, R&D professional

SMART on FHIR Integration to Improve Medication Adherence
Wednesday, February 13 – 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., Room W304E (Session 95)
Language barriers, which are common in areas with diverse populations, can make it difficult for providers to educate patients about the proper way to use their prescribed medications. When people don’t understand instructions for adhering to a medication regime, the results can include poor health outcomes, costly readmissions and unhappy patients. Attendees at this session can learn how Dignity Health, the largest hospital provider in California, developed and implemented a SMART on FHIR application to provide medication instruction via a dedicated discharge portal.

Target audience: Clinical informaticists, CNIO/CNO, pharmacy professional

Creating a Digital Patient Experience Strategy from Scratch
Wednesday, February 13 – 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., Room W303A (Session 121)
Any effective patient-experience initiative ideally begins with a clear vision, strategy and plan – a seemingly overwhelming process if an organization has few (if any) existing digital tools for patients. With the right methodology, however, a provider organization can devise and implement a strategy to deliver a quality digital patient experience. This session will discuss the methodology used by NYU Langone Health to gain cross-departmental stakeholder buy-in for its patient experience strategy and create a framework for initiative development that focused on the digital capabilities that meet the needs of patients.

Target audience: Advocacy group focus on patient, family member, caregiver, CIO, CTO, IT professional

Personalize Patient Relationships and Connect Care Journeys with CRM
Wednesday, February 13 – 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Room W208C (Session 125)
Healthcare organizations can empower patients by providing user-friendly mobile and online tools that allow them to be more actively involved in managing their own health. But to create deep personal connections with patients, providers must ensure a seamless end-to-end experience for patients as well as employees. This session will explore how customer relationship management (CRM) software can help take patient engagement to a new level while fostering greater collaboration, efficiency and productivity across the organization.

Target audience: CIO, CTO, chief quality officer, chief clinical transformation officer, consumer groups

Creating the Next Generation of Digital Engagement
Thursday, February 14 – 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., Room W304E (Session 198)
Patients who are engaged in their own healthcare generally have more favorable outcomes. By understanding the needs of patients, providers can develop patient experience initiatives that maximize engagement. Novant Health representatives will explain the benefits of patient-engagement initiatives, how to use a patient portal to maximize engagement and how to design a framework for creating an effective patient engagement program.

Target audience: Advocacy group focus on patient, family member, caregiver, C-Suite, management engineer, process improvement professional

Digitizing Mental Health Support Through Internet-Delivered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (iCBT) Technology
Thursday, February 14 – 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., Room W303A (Session 207)
Cognitive behavior therapy has proven to be effective in treating a range of mental health issues. Combined with self-directed learning, the use of expert-developed digital tools such as iCBT technology can offer mental health patients a flexible, convenient and personalized support experience. This session will detail how patients who use iCBT technology are more likely to complete their therapy plans, how providers can develop clinically sound and accessible iCBT programs, and how digital behavioral health solutions can be used to help mental health patients who avoid traditional forms of treatment.

Target audience: C-Suite, chief quality officer, chief clinical transformation officer, life sciences professionals

Patient Loyalty in Healthcare: An Innovative New Approach
Thursday, February 14 – 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., Room W304E (Session 283)
How can providers earn and retain the loyalty of patients? One way is to learn from and implement the best practices of an industry designed around the ability to attract and retain customers. In this session, attendees can learn how Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) mimicked the loyalty program strategies used by retailers to increase market share in key revenue-generating services while more effectively engaging patients in their own care.
 
Target Audience: CIO, CTO, CMIO/CMIO, consumer groups

Digitally Transforming Patient and Caregiver Experiences
Friday, February 15 – Noon to 1 p.m., Room W308A (Session 309)
It takes more than the latest connected devices to digitally transform patient and provider experiences. Genuine transformation also requires designing engaging and intuitive digital experiences, gaining buy-in from multiple stakeholders, an agile and scalable IT infrastructure, and ongoing application innovation. Hear how Cleveland Clinic created a digital transformation strategy that laid the foundation for success of its Distance Health program.

Target audience: CIO, CTO, C-Suite, CMIO/CMIO

Special Exhibit Areas and Events

Patient Engagement & Experience Summit
Monday, February 11 – 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Rosen Centre, Grand Ballroom C – Cost: $350 (requires additional registration)
This all-day, pre-conference specialty program features a dozen education sessions that run from 10 minutes to a half-hour, as well as breakfast, lunch and several networking opportunities. Session topics include:

• State of the Industry: Hardwiring Patient Engagement & Experience (9:45 a.m. to 10:25 a.m.)
• Smarter Care: The AI Driven Patient Experience (11 a.m. to 11:25 a.m.)
• Fireside Chat: Extending Empathy into the Digital Era (11:25 a.m. to 11:55 a.m.)
• Modernizing Healthcare in Today’s Consumer-Based Economy (1:30 p.m. to 2 p.m.)
• Virtual Reality Delivers 360 Degrees of Patient Satisfaction (3:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.)

Personalized Health Experience (new!)
Exhibit Hall A, Booth 888
Digital technologies are allowing providers to design personalized experiences for their patients. This exhibit showcases the latest products from vendors addressing a range of healthcare specialties, including chronic disease management and population health. Ongoing 15- to 20-minute educational sessions focus on topics such as:

• Artificial Intelligence and Telemedicine (Tuesday, February 12, 10:15 a.m. to 10:35 a.m.)
• Design a Personalized Care Coordination Strategy (Wednesday, February 13, 3:15 p.m. to 3:35 p.m.)
• Don’t Build More HealthTech Without Asking Patients First (Thursday, February 14, 1:15 p.m. to 2 p.m.)

Innovation Live Pavilion
Exhibit Hall F, Booth 9000
Innovation Live not only provides access to cutting-edge, disruptive technologies, but you can also engage with some of the leading incubators for startup organizations. This is the destination for like-minded attendees who are looking for everything from blockchain to artificial intelligence, from CDS to SaaS, and much more.
Sessions include:
PX: Aligning Tech Investments from the Outside In
Learn key findings and insights from the Patient Experience study, conducted by HIMSS Analytics. Fielded to both patients and providers alike, this study focused on understanding technology impacts on patient experience (PX) across the care continuum. Findings highlight focus opportunities for technology investments toward what patients truly value.
Tuesday, February 12 – 12:44 p.m. to 1:05 p.m., Session IL06
Speaker: Theresa Dudley, Lead, Healthcare Programs, Spectrum Enterprise

Healthcare of the Future
Exhibit Hall C – Booth 5359
See, touch and try the healthcare products of tomorrow at this exciting exhibit. This future-focused pavilion offers three days of hands-on demonstrations and several educational sessions, including:

• Using the EHR Hands-Free With Wearable Technology (Tuesday, February 12, 3:15 p.m. to 3:35 p.m.)
• Radical Patient Engagement & the Voice Revolution (Wednesday, February 13, 2:15 p.m. to 2:35 p.m.)