How to improve consumer engagement via Medicaid ACOs
By Admin | October 26, 2016
In order to provide coordinated, person-centered care, it is necessary for accountable care organizations (ACOs) to engage consumers and patients on a more regular basis.
Giving feedback needs to be convenient.
Meeting times and locations are critical. If an area isn’t easily accessible via public transportation, a consumer may not be able to get to the meeting at all. Child care is also a concern, so planners should be mindful of helping arrange some sort of supervision. Also, consumers will need adequate time before meetings to review materials.
And when it’s possible, feedback should be accepted outside of face-to-face meetings.
It needs to be inclusive of everyone.
Consumer advocates need to be just that: advocates. And in order to best serve consumers, they need the proper training, tools, and funding to reach a broader audience. Time needs to be dedicated to addressing relevant issues, language needs to be friendlier and easier to understand, and a range of consumers needs to be represented.
Without noticeable effects, there is no point.
The end goal, of course, is improving the consumer experience and healthcare, which can only happen if action is taken in regards to relevant consumer input. Efforts and outcomes need to be tracked.
For more, read “Medicaid ACOs: 3 ways to improve consumer engagement” from Fierce Healthcare.
