Advanced primary care (APC) is a new way of looking at healthcare. Creating an APC solution takes a significant upfront investment, and breaking old thinking patterns is critical to its success. So is driving effective member engagement.
But change can surface anxieties, even when all agree that the traditional healthcare approach is ripe for disruption.
So, while initiatives that increase patient access to healthcare — like telehealth or other virtual care services — have become more widely accepted in recent months, you can’t ride solely on their tailwinds to ensure engagement. Instead, these initiatives provide an opportunity.
When launching your APC solution and care center, set yourself up to achieve a strong return on investment (ROI) and high engagement levels by devising a well-executed, well-coordinated campaign. Here are a few things to consider.
Features are abstract. Benefits are more concrete, personal, and outcome-focused. Center your campaign around what participants can gain from utilizing your care center.
Convenient location: No one likes to be shuttled from provider to provider. It’s time-consuming and the decentralized model increases the likelihood that the care provided will treat only the most obvious issues and symptoms. Instead, position your center as a place where participants can get all their primary care needs addressed at a single, conveniently located care center. This helps ensure there are no gaps in care.
Deeper patient-provider relationship: A smaller pool of patients means more time spent on each one’s unique needs. Healthcare providers can really get to know each of their patients, and patients can feel more confident that care is being coordinated thoughtfully.
No wait times: A healthcare appointment shouldn’t take all day. People are busy, and many wait until their symptoms are urgent before seeking care because they can’t take time away from other responsibilities. No wait times help ensure that health care can be incorporated into someone’s life — not take it over.
Longer appointments: Whether in person or through telehealth or other virtual care services, longer appointment times give the patient and provider an opportunity to connect with their patients. This improves both the provider’s ability to diagnose issues and the patient’s confidence in the care provided.
Primary care: The traditional healthcare model is expensive. High out-of-pocket costs prevent individuals from seeking out regular primary care, even when they need it. Your care center is a solution to that: it provides free and regular access to those primary care services that individuals need but usually try to avoid.
Generic Prescriptions filled onsite: The cost of prescription drugs and the inconvenience of stopping at a participating pharmacy to fill them are two obstacles to care that are nonissues at most care centers.
To maximize engagement, it’s important to ensure your messaging resonates with your core audiences. Create targeted campaigns that speak to the benefits each audience will gain as a result of your APC solution and care center. These may include:
Whether in an urban setting or a more rural one, we’ve become a digital-first society. So embrace those tools when it comes time to announce your APC program and connect with your members. For example:
APC is a departure from the traditional healthcare model so your program and care center might be met with a certain degree of hesitation at first. A well-executed campaign announcing your program launch will go a long way towards overcoming that hesitation and, ultimately, will lead to higher engagement, a greater ROI, and a lower total cost of care.
Look through our eBook on APC titled Advanced Primary Care — The Front Line Of A Health Revolution and our other resources for even more information about APC best practices and what steps you need to take to successfully launch an APC program.