How Rural Healthcare Organizations Improve Connections with Patients
With a predominantly rural patient population spread across two mountainous counties, Vail Health has implemented effective technologies for outreach and communication. The health system strives to maximize convenience while improving the overall care experience. One platform, for example, helps Vail Health understand more about a patient’s demographics and health history, and allows them to be more targeted and relevant in their communications.
Vail Health also introduced a new wayfinding tool for hospital patients and visitors, made possible through philanthropy. Today, when someone arrives at the facility and isn’t sure where to go, they can either talk to a hospital volunteer or scan a QR code with their phone to get personalized directions based on their location. “You don’t have to download or sign up for anything,” says Chad Milam, the health system’s director of digital strategy and experience.
When it comes to patient engagement, Vail Health evolves as new technologies become available and interoperability between systems becomes more feasible, says Chief Information Officer Julie Jackson: “If it’s technology that can augment our human resources, that’s something we’re interested in.”
Across Colorado Mountain Medical (a Vail Health network of primary and specialty care providers), for instance, they just adopted a patient “accelerator” tool that allows the organization to text patients about last-minute appointment openings due to cancellations. CMM is also currently onboarding a real-time scheduling platform.
