Small healthcare businesses have garnered considerable attention in the recent past on account of the Covid-19 pandemic. While there was an expected surge in activity during those tumultuous times, the world gradually learned to return to pre-pandemic norms. However, all healthcare enterprises have had to confront pivotal challenges in managing demand, sustaining competitiveness, and enhancing patient outcomes in 2024. In this article, we will discuss the role Salesforce can play in your transformation journey. Let's look at what that might be.
Patient Engagement and Retention: Small healthcare businesses usually have to manage their multiple responsibilities with the help of relatively lean staff. This may impact patient engagement leading to poorer patient retention. This is where Salesforce's patient relationship management (PRM) tools can help in creating personalized communication channels, appointment reminders, and follow-up care plans. According to a study by Accenture, 77% of patients are more likely to choose a healthcare provider that offers reminders and alerts through digital channels.
Data Management and Compliance: With the increasing importance being accorded to data privacy and security regulations like GDPR and HIPAA, small healthcare businesses need more robust data management solutions than ever before. Salesforce Health Cloud provides a secure platform for storing and managing patient data while ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements. For example, Health Cloud ensures that only authorized personnel have access to sensitive patient information, thus reducing the risk of data breaches.
Streamlining Operations and Workflows: Efficient workflow management is crucial for small healthcare businesses to optimize resource utilization and enhance patient satisfaction. Salesforce offers customizable workflow automation tools that can help streamline processes such as appointment scheduling, billing, and inventory management. By automating routine tasks, healthcare providers can focus more on delivering quality patient care, thereby achieving better results. An IBM study found that organizations that automate their workflows experience a 70% reduction in operational costs on average.
Integration of Multiple Systems and Applications: Small healthcare businesses often use disparate systems for managing patient records, billing, and other administrative tasks. Integrating these systems can be considerably challenging and very time-consuming. Salesforce's AppExchange marketplace can help redress this by offering a wide range of pre-built integrations by way of popular healthcare applications such as electronic health records (EHR) systems and telemedicine platforms. A case in point is integrating Salesforce with a telemedicine platform allowing healthcare providers to conduct virtual consultations seamlessly, thereby improving access to care for patients in remote areas.
Analytics and Business Intelligence: Data-driven decision-making is essential for the success of healthcare businesses in today's competitive environment. Salesforce's analytics tools enable small healthcare businesses to obtain insights into patient demographics, treatment outcomes, as well as revenue trends. By analyzing this data, healthcare providers can zero in on areas of improvement and develop targeted strategies that enhance patient care and operational efficiency. As per a McKinsey report, healthcare organizations that use analytics extensively achieve a 20% reduction in costs and a 25% improvement in patient outcomes on average.
Conclusion: Smaller Healthcare Businesses would do well to embrace digital transformation to meet customer expectations and retain the long-term trust of their patients. By leveraging the latest tools such as the ones provided by Salesforce they can forecast very accurate healthcare demands and deliver much better patient outcomes in 2024 and beyond. Addressing these challenges with Salesforce solutions empowers small healthcare businesses to effectively compete with larger peers and deliver the highest-quality care to their patients.
Disclaimer: Zime, as a Salesforce Consulting Partner, offers guidance to its clients in navigating operational and growth obstacles through Salesforce. The solutions outlined in this article are not presented as the sole options available. We encourage readers and prospective clients to undertake additional research to determine the solutions best suited to their business needs.