Empathy is emerging as one of the biggest topics of conversation as we begin to emerge from the pandemic for healthcare organizations. Once considered a ‘soft skill’ it’s becoming an essential skill. We take a look at why this is in this week’s Future Healthcare Today roundup. 

According to Forbes Empathy is the Next Big Disruptor 

While the pandemic threw a wrench in every business’s plans, Forbes Business Council Member, Ross Wainwright, sees this not as a pain point, but as a big opportunity. For organizations across all verticals –  from retailers to healthcare providers – Wainwright is encouraging leadership to invest in building a culture of empathy not just internally, but which extends to building relationships with customers and patients.  As he writes: “Commonly known as a “soft skill,” empathy has quickly become a “vital skill.” The last year has changed entire systemic cultural norms as we know them.”

You can read the full article here. 

BJC Healthcare Focuses on Four Areas to Improve Patience Experience 

As healthcare providers rely more on digital tools in healthcare delivery an exemplary patient experience has never been more important. In this article we take a look at how one healthcare provider, BJC Healthcare, is focusing on four areas to improve the patient experience. As Dave Michaela VP of Digital Solutions at Horizontal and a Sitecore Digital Strategy MVP shared: “Now, more than ever, digital experiences and the relationships they create are critical … The ultimate goal is to take the stress out of these interactions and use them as the foundation for productive, lifetime relationships.”

You can read the article and more of Michaela’s thoughts here. 

A Personal Reflection on the Importance of Empathy in Healthcare

Well known healthcare IT writer, Brian Eastwood and his wife recently welcomed their son into the world. Their experience in the hospital was exemplary but five days after returning home they received an impersonal letter from the hospital asking them to fill out a Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey. While Eastwood understands the importance of the HCAHPS survey to healthcare providers since “the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ranks hospitals based on care quality and experience metrics, assesses financial incentives to high achievers and penalties to laggards,” he was confused by the cold tone of the letter asking for their feedback. 

You can read Eastwood’s piece on why he hopes empathy becomes a bigger consideration for healthcare providers across all departments here.