What is Healthcare Touchpoint Mapping?

Yext's Head of Industry for Healthcare, Carrie Liken, recently attended a half-day session with other health systems, led by the Disney Institute. The focus was on the patient experience and how health systems can improve this by paying close attention to all of the touchpoints a patient has — from the moment they set foot on your campus to the moment they leave your doctor's office.

*Carrie Liken is Yext's first Head of Industry for Healthcare. In her role,*Liken leads all healthcare-related activities, including product and partnership development.

Picture this: a wintery scene at the entrance of a hospital — with snow piled on top of trash cans and cigarette butts strewn about. If this is the first interaction a patient has with your health system — either online or offline — what will they think when they see this?

A picture just like this was shown at the Disney Institute event as an example of Touchpoint Mapping — also known as any encounter where customers and businesses engage to exchange information and services, or to handle a transaction. Brands often map these encounters to better understand how to make improvements in customer interactions and experiences, and it matters just as much — if not more — in the healthcare industry. Health systems need to understand how patients engage with their brand and where these interactions occur so they can can do a better job of making each touchpoint the best it can be. The implications of poor patient engagement can drive online reviews about a system and can be a real threat to patient acquisition.

However, what many health systems fail to realize is that there are additional touchpoints patients have that are not physical and that don't begin at the moment they walk into a hospital. Patients have exposure to a health system the moment a symptom or diagnosis search occurs. If health systems are appalled at showing a patient a cigarette-butt infested entrance, why aren't they equally appalled when a patient finds the wrong information? Drives to the wrong location? Calls the wrong phone number? All of these digital touchpoints make an impact on the patient, and it's crucial to pay attention toalltouchpoints — both digital and physical — when thinking about the patient journey.

Have you thought about your health system's digital touchpoints? If not, here are some things to think about:

• When a patient searches for your providers and your brand, what does he or she see online?
• What is your health system or individual provider's online reputation?
• How are you currently managing your health system's reputation online?

We have many resources to help you get the right information about your health system into the hands of searching patients. Check out our whitepapers, Preventative Care: Maintaining Doctor and Facility Listings Online, and Healthcare's Location Data Crisis: Improving the Mobile Patient's Journey. Learn more about Yext for Healthcare.

The Disney Institute is the professional development and external training arm of the Walt Disney Company. It showcases the 'business behind the magic' through seminars, workshops and presentations, as well as programs for professionals from many different industries, including healthcare, aerospace/aviation, government/military, food/beverage and retail.