COVID-19 has shifted consumers’ expectations regarding how they access health care. As virtual health care evolves, organizations have an opportunity to make the most of their digital tools and services. This is a digital front door, and by opening it to participants, you can extend health care access beyond a provider’s facilities, reaching patients where they live and supporting them along various points in their health care journey. This not only expands access to care but also improves productivity and drives engagement.
Josh Meyer, Senior Consultant, started looking into the concept of the digital front door in 2021. “I wasn’t familiar with the digital front door at first, but I have been working on making the benefits experience a consumer experience for participants, providing them with tools, control, and information across a variety of channels for a long time. After presenting the webinar,Building an Effective Digital Health & Communication Strategy, for the IFEBP’s Outlook for Health Care 2021 and Beyond conference in April 2021, I wrote this article on the same topic, exploring it a little further.” (Josh has also hosted aSegal Benz webinaron the same topic.)
The digital front door is a deliberate, strategic approach. It provides patients the kind of flexibility and convenience they’ve never experienced in health care before—online self-scheduling, mobile pre-registration and check-in, web and mobile payments, automated reminders for follow-up appointments, and so much more. It’s the difference between having to set a reminder to call the clinic when it opens and the ability to schedule an appointment whether it’s the middle of the night, after hours, or on the weekend.
