In the ever-evolving healthcare industry, efficiency and patient care are crucial. Streamlined processes ensure that patients receive timely and appropriate care, reducing the risk of complications and improving overall health outcomes. At the same time, a strong focus on patient care fosters trust and satisfaction, which are essential for successful treatment and recovery. 

Recognizing these imperatives, a leading health organization and Salesforce have embarked on a groundbreaking partnership to streamline the prior authorization process. This collaboration aims to address one of the most significant pain points in healthcare: the often cumbersome and time-consuming approval process for medical treatments and services. 

The Challenge of Prior Authorizations 

Prior authorizations are essential for ensuring that treatments are safe, evidence-based, and cost-effective. However, the traditional process is fraught with inefficiencies, often leading to delays in patient care. According to a survey by the American Medical Association, 78% of physicians reported that issues with prior authorizations can result in patients foregoing necessary treatments. 

This is in part due to outdated and inefficient healthcare industry processes, where about two-thirds of prior authorization requests are submitted manually or partially manually, including by fax machine. Submissions that lack complete clinical information slow the process, and outdated electronic systems waste time and resources, leaving patients without answers and worried about their next steps in care. 

A Technological Solution 

Leveraging Salesforce Health Cloud, this partnership is set to transform the prior authorization process. Health Cloud integrates with existing electronic health records (EHRs) to gather relevant clinical data, enabling near real-time prior authorization decisions. 

The use of Health Level Seven (HL7) Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) standards creates technology that will streamline over 20 different systems into one process that integrates with physicians’ current workflow. 

The Role of AI 

AI plays a crucial role in this transformation. By automating data collection and analysis, AI can significantly speed up the approval process. This not only reduces the administrative burden on healthcare providers but also ensures that patients receive timely care. The AI system is designed to handle most requests quickly, with only a small number requiring further clinical consultation. 

When clinical consultation is needed, physicians will receive a message in near real-time detailing what is needed to complete the authorization and options to begin a peer-to-peer clinical consultation. This process, which currently can take several days, will be reduced to hours, depending on the requesting physician’s availability. 

Benefits for Patients and Providers 

Patients will receive updates on their authorization status through a member app, giving them more clarity around their status. 

For providers, the streamlined process allows them to focus more on patient care rather than administrative tasks. Modifications or denials will always be made by a medical director or licensed clinician, ensuring that decisions are clinically sound. 

A Step Towards Digital Transformation 

This partnership is a testament to the power of digital transformation in healthcare. By adopting advanced technologies, the collaborators are setting a new standard for efficiency and patient care. This initiative not only addresses current challenges but also paves the way for future innovations in healthcare delivery. 

Ready to Transform Your Healthcare Organization? 

This prior authorization solution using Health Cloud and AI is a significant step toward a more efficient and patient-centric healthcare system. As we continue to navigate the complexities of healthcare, such partnerships highlight the potential of technology to drive meaningful change. 

At Perficient, we are excited to see how these advancements will shape the future of healthcare and are committed to supporting our clients in their digital transformation journeys. 

Whether you’re looking to enhance patient engagement, streamline operations, or leverage data for better decision-making, we’re here to guide you every step of the way. From initial strategy to implementation and ongoing support, Perficient is committed to helping you achieve your healthcare transformation goals. 

Don’t let outdated systems hold your organization back. Take the first step towards a more efficient, patient-centric future. Contact Perficient today to discover how we can help you harness the power of Salesforce and other leading technologies to revolutionize your healthcare delivery. 

Let’s work together to create healthier communities and better patient outcomes. Reach out now to start your transformation journey with Perficient. 

Clear and simple communication is not just beneficial—it’s essential in healthcare, especially for individuals with cognitive disabilities.

What are the benefits?

Enhanced Understanding

Comprehension: Patients are more likely to understand their health conditions, treatment options, and care instructions when information is presented in plain language.
Retention: Simplified communication helps patients retain important details, making it easier for them to follow through with their care plans.

Improved Compliance

Adherence to Treatment: When patients understand what they need to do and why, they are more likely to adhere to their prescribed treatments and follow healthcare advice.
Reduced Errors: Clear instructions reduce the risk of misunderstandings and errors in medication administration, self-care practices, and appointment schedules.

Increased Patient Engagement

Empowerment: Patients feel more empowered and confident in managing their health when they fully understand the information provided to them.
Active Participation: Simplified communication encourages patients to ask questions, express concerns, and participate actively in their healthcare decisions.

Reduced Anxiety and Stress

Clarity and Reassurance: Clear communication provides clarity and reassurance, reducing anxiety and stress for patients who might otherwise feel overwhelmed by complex medical information.
Comfort: Patients feel more comfortable and at ease when they understand their care, leading to a more positive healthcare experience.

Better Health Outcomes

Timely Interventions: Patients who understand their symptoms and when to seek help are more likely to receive timely interventions, preventing complications and improving overall health outcomes.
Informed Decisions: Clear and simple communication enables patients to make informed decisions about their care, leading to better adherence and health outcomes.

Inclusive Healthcare Environment

Accessibility: Simplified communication ensures that healthcare is accessible to individuals with cognitive disabilities, promoting inclusivity and equality.
Equity: By making information clear and understandable for everyone, healthcare providers can address disparities and ensure equitable access to care.

A study conducted in a community health clinic showed that when healthcare providers used plain language and visual aids, patients with cognitive disabilities had a 30% increase in understanding their treatment plans. This led to higher rates of medication adherence and follow-up appointments, ultimately improving their health outcomes.

Clear and simple communication is a foundational element of universal design in healthcare. It ensures that all patients, regardless of their cognitive abilities, receive the information they need to manage their health effectively. By adopting this approach, healthcare providers can enhance patient understanding, improve compliance, reduce anxiety, and create a more inclusive and supportive healthcare environment. Together, let’s build a healthcare system that is truly accessible for everyone.

Are you considering caregiver experiences in your digital strategy? The complexity of today’s healthcare ecosystem can be incredibly daunting for those who are unwell, older, or navigating complex care decisions. Caregivers can play a crucial role as advocates and supporters but are often approached by healthcare organizations as a siloed aspect of the care experience.

Caregiver Experiences Matter to Consumers and Your Business

In a recent blog series, I explored why healthcare organizations (HCOs) can and should support caregivers who are supporting the patients and members your organization serves. Supporting caregivers makes good business sense for your HCO. Remember, supported caregivers:

• Lead to more satisfied patients/members
• Demonstrate your HCO’s value proposition, which leads to more conversions
• Help your patients/members adhere to their care plans, which leads to healthier patients/members overall

1. Understand the beginning of the caregiver journey

The surge in caregivers isn’t going away anytime soon. But by having a solid strategy in place, your HCO can differentiate itself from the competition and earn loyalty from caregivers and patients and members alike.

Read More: The Caregivers’ Journey, Part 1: Guidance

2. Understand the stress family caregivers are under

The role of a caregiver is a demanding and difficult one. But it’s a necessary one. And by providing the support these indispensable individuals need, you not only make the experience more reasonable for the caregiver, but you also can ease the minds of your patients and members, as well as build loyalty from both.

Read More: The Caregivers’ Journey, Part 2: Stress and Support

3. Be mindful of caregivers’ logistical challenges

Nearly every aspect of family caregiving is a challenge, but the challenges aren’t insurmountable. When your HCO provides the resources caregivers need, you ease their burdens — as well as those of your patients/members — and build loyalty that lasts.

Read More: The Caregivers’ Journey, Part 3: Logistics

4. Understand the beginning of the caregiver journey

Caregiving is a spectrum. Your HCO is likely to interact with many people on varying points of that spectrum. Understanding what that looks like for your patients or members, as well as the loved ones and allied professionals involved in their care, can help you provide the best possible experience for everyone.

Read More: The Caregivers’ Journey, Part 4: Roles and Permissions

5. Enable open, quick communication among HCOs, patients/members and caregivers

The need for caregivers is on the rise. Having the tools and procedures in place to ease the experience for them only makes the process better for your patients and members and everyone involved in their care.

Read More: The Caregivers’ Journey, Part 5: Open Lines of Communication

Resilient, Transformative Care Experiences

Health plans have an opportunity to build trust and maintain and grow market share by providing breakthrough caregiver experiences that help support the member wellness imperative while lowering costs. With advancements in technology, the ability to digitize the caregiving experience is here. Digital experiences can provide important insight into a loved one’s health and activities and enable intuitive tools to uphold medication adherence, coordinate appointments and transportation, facilitate regular updates to physicians, and more.

We can work with you to provide a high-quality caregiver experience through our caregiver enablement approach.

To learn more, or to schedule an introductory workshop, contact us. Discover why we’ve been trusted by the 10 largest health insurers and the 10 largest health systems to shatter boundaries, obsess over outcomes, and forge the future of healthcare experiences.

Interactive communication is a key component of universal design in healthcare. It ensures that patients with cognitive disabilities are actively engaged in their care, fostering better understanding, retention, and overall satisfaction. Here’s how healthcare providers can effectively implement interactive communication:

The Importance of Interactive Communication

Interactive communication involves a two-way exchange where patients are not just passive recipients but active participants in the conversation. For individuals with cognitive disabilities, this approach enhances understanding, promotes engagement, and empowers them to take an active role in their healthcare journey.

Strategies for Interactive Communication

Encourage Patient Feedback

Open-Ended Questions: Use open-ended questions to invite patients to share their thoughts, concerns, and questions. For example, instead of asking “Do you understand?” ask “What do you think about this treatment plan?”
Active Listening: Practice active listening by paying close attention to patients’ responses, validating their feelings, and responding thoughtfully. This builds trust and encourages more open communication.

Use the Teach-Back Method

Patient Explanation: After explaining a health condition or treatment plan, ask patients to explain it back to you in their own words. This helps confirm their understanding and allows you to identify any areas that need further clarification.
Clarify and Correct: If patients struggle to explain the information, gently correct and clarify as needed. Repeat the process until they can confidently articulate their care plan.

Incorporate Technology

Interactive Apps and Tools: Utilize interactive apps and digital tools that engage patients in their care. These can include educational games, interactive symptom checkers, and personalized health trackers.
Virtual Consultations: Offer virtual consultations where patients can interact with healthcare providers in real-time, ask questions, and receive immediate feedback.

Use Visual and Tactile Aids

Interactive Models: Use physical models and tactile aids to explain medical conditions and procedures. Hands-on interactions can help patients better understand complex concepts.
Visual Feedback: Provide visual feedback during consultations, such as drawing diagrams or using charts to illustrate points. This reinforces verbal communication and makes the information more accessible.

Benefits of Interactive Communication

Implementing interactive communication offers several benefits:

Improved Understanding: Patients are more likely to understand and retain information when they actively participate in the conversation.
Enhanced Engagement: Interactive communication fosters a sense of involvement and ownership, making patients more engaged in their healthcare.
Better Health Outcomes: Engaged and informed patients are more likely to follow treatment plans and make informed health decisions, leading to better outcomes. A healthcare clinic in Atlanta adopted interactive communication strategies to support patients with cognitive disabilities. They implemented the teach-back method, used interactive digital tools, and provided visual feedback during consultations. Patients reported higher levels of understanding and engagement, leading to improved adherence to treatment plans.

Interactive communication is a vital component of universal design in healthcare for cognitive disabilities. By encouraging patient feedback, using the teach-back method, incorporating technology, and providing visual aids, healthcare providers can create a more engaging and supportive environment. Together, let’s build a healthcare system that is truly accessible for everyone.

The Power of Repetition and Summarization

Repetition and summarization are key strategies in ensuring that healthcare information is clear and memorable for individuals with cognitive disabilities. These techniques help reinforce important details, aiding comprehension and retention. Here’s how healthcare providers can effectively implement repetition and summarization:

The Importance of Repetition and Summarization

For individuals with cognitive disabilities, retaining new information can be challenging. Repetition and summarization provide multiple opportunities to absorb and understand critical details about their health and treatment, leading to better outcomes and a more inclusive healthcare experience.

Strategies for Repetition and Summarization

Repeat Key Points

Reiterate Important Information: During consultations, repeat essential information multiple times. For example, if explaining a medication schedule, reiterate the dosage and timing at different points in the conversation.
Consistent Messaging: Use consistent messaging across different formats. Verbal instructions, written materials, and digital communications should all emphasize the same key points to reinforce understanding.

Provide Summaries

End with a Summary: Conclude conversations and consultations with a brief summary of the main points discussed. This helps ensure that patients leave with a clear understanding of what they need to remember.
Written Summaries: Provide written summaries of verbal instructions. These can be in the form of printouts, emails, or digital notes that patients can refer back to.

Use Visual and Written Reinforcement

Visual Summaries: Use visual aids to summarize information. For instance, a flowchart can illustrate steps in a treatment plan, or an infographic can highlight key aspects of a health condition.
Bullet Points and Lists: Organize summaries into bullet points or lists. This format makes the information easy to scan and understand quickly.

Incorporate Technology

Digital Reminders: Utilize digital tools to send reminders and summaries via text messages, emails, or app notifications. These can reinforce instructions and provide ongoing support.
Interactive Resources: Provide access to interactive resources that offer repeated exposure to important information. Online videos, educational apps, and patient portals can all be used to reinforce learning.

Benefits of Repetition and Summarization

Implementing repetition and summarization offers several benefits:

Enhanced Retention: Repeated exposure to key information improves memory retention, ensuring that patients remember crucial details about their care.
Improved Understanding: Summarizing information helps clarify complex concepts, making it easier for patients to grasp and recall important points.
Better Health Outcomes: When patients understand and remember their care instructions, they are more likely to follow through, leading to improved health outcomes.

A healthcare provider in New York adopted repetition and summarization techniques in their patient interactions. They consistently reiterated key points during consultations, provided written summaries, and used digital reminders. Patients reported higher levels of understanding and adherence to their treatment plans, resulting in better health outcomes.Repetition and summarization are powerful tools in creating an inclusive and supportive healthcare environment for individuals with cognitive disabilities. By reinforcing key information and providing clear summaries, healthcare providers can enhance understanding, improve retention, and ensure better patient outcomes. Together, let’s build a healthcare system that is truly accessible for everyone.

Our experts are closely monitoring eight healthcare trends that are shaping industry leaders’ strategies in 2025.

And this year is especially interesting, as 2024’s U.S. election results could significantly shift healthcare policy and impact healthcare access, affordability, regulation, and innovation.

As such, forward-looking healthcare organizations (HCOs) that are on-track to differentiate their brand in the modern marketplace demonstrate some key characteristics:

• Pragmatically progressive strategies
• Strong partnerships to see those strategies through

Let’s dive into the eight healthcare trends and pragmatic innovations that our experts are helping HCOs navigate in 2025.

Healthcare Trend #1: AI Disruption and Enablement

Healthcare has seen a surge of interest in AI, with the market set to soar to $187.95 billion by 2030. But the industry faces unique challenges that other sectors don’t encounter. Strict regulations around HIPAA, PHI, and PII create significant barriers, making it difficult to adopt off-the-shelf AI solutions from fields like commerce or digital experience. These regulations demand that healthcare AI be specifically tailored to ensure data privacy, security, and compliance, limiting the utility of plug-and-play approaches seen in other industries.

Recommended Approach: AI should not be viewed as a standalone strategy but rather as a powerful enabler of broader business objectives. A well-formed strategy aligns key business priorities with organizational capabilities – people, technology, and processes – to create a cohesive framework. AI’s transformative potential can then be harnessed to address high-impact use cases for HCOs that are defined by clear KPIs and measurable outcomes. However, this potential can only be fully realized if AI is implemented with careful consideration of ethical, security and privacy, and oversight issues. This approach ensures that AI drives tangible value, tailored to the unique needs and strengths of the organization.

Success In Action: Accelerating CSR Support of Benefits Questions Using GenAI

Healthcare Trend #2: Cost Management Without Sacrificing Agility

HCOs continue to face substantial challenges in maintaining margins. While there are many macro and operational factors at play, cost management will play a key part in C-suite planning for the foreseeable future. Against this background, leaders are still under intense competitive pressure to improve many aspects of the digital experience. This tension is driving renewed interest in automation, including AI, and an emphasis on MVP+ and Agile delivery of everything from data modernization to websites and search.

Recommended Approach: Strategic cohesion is vital to ensure initiatives are supported by extremely clear goals and KPIs, and ultimately deliver business value and better health outcomes. A rigorous yet practical business transformation mindset has therefore never been more important. Leaders must prioritize technology investments that balance shorter-term wins and longer-range viability. Cost containment will require compromises. Thus, organizational alignment and change management become even more vital as teams competing for technology development dollars evolve their focus from departmental goals to enterprise sustainability.

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Healthcare Trend #3: Clinician Burnout and Patient Impacts

Approximately 63% of physicians report burnout at least once a week. Clinician burnout not only exacerbates staffing challenges and jeopardizes the health and well-being of frontline healthcare workers, it also poses critical risks to patient safety, care quality, and the long-term sustainability of HCOs. Burnout can lead to increased medical errors, compromised decision-making, and diminished patient-provider relationships, directly impacting the experience and outcomes for patients and potentially increasing insurance premiums and out-of-pocket expenses for members. Every departing nurse or physician deepens the cycle, as budget freezes and shortages in the workforce make it difficult, if not impossible, to replace these key personnel. As the pressure mounts, remaining staff and healthcare consumers all suffer – with longer wait times, reduced continuity of care, and overall diminished access to services, threatening the very stability of healthcare delivery systems.

Recommended Approach: Ease the burden on clinicians by first understanding teams’ day-to-day friction points. Engaging directly with end-users ensures their voices inform your modernization efforts, fostering a culture of collaboration that can drive meaningful change. This open dialogue cultivates powerful change advocates who will champion the adoption of digital investments, such as smart automation, trusted data, advanced analytics, and integrated consumer experiences. Furthermore, organizations must strategically engage and resonate with providers who are contemplating career transitions, ensuring that their needs and aspirations are addressed. These efforts not only contribute to your HCO’s bottom line but also enhance the overall experience for everyone—providers, patients, and caregivers alike. In both the short- and long-term, these initiatives will build trust within your consumer base, positioning your organization as a desirable destination for care and ultimately fostering a healthier, more engaged community.

See Also: Perficient Mentioned in Two Forrester Reports on Tech-Enabled Clinician Experiences

Healthcare Trend #4: Experiences That Build Trust

Research from Gallup showed consumers, in 2023, had some of the lowest levels of trust ever recorded in the healthcare industry. Although we are seeing levels of trust in HCOs begin to improve, they still have a long way to go. 2025 will see the continued push to meet healthcare consumers’ demand for convenience and personalized digital experiences.

Recommended Approach: From everyday commerce to the 2024 presidential election, we continue to see one clear fact: It’s imperative to know your audience. There is no “typical” healthcare consumer, and if you don’t treat people as individuals with unique, personal needs, you risk losing them to another HCO that does. Your organization must incorporate comprehensive healthcare personas and journeys to fully understand the people you serve, how they want you to communicate with them, and how they access your care or services — or risk losing them. Consider potential areas of mistrust for your organization and address them now to build consumers’ confidence. Key areas where we often help HCOs do just that are through digital front door strategies, implementation of intelligent search, and reimagining information architecture (IA).

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Healthcare Trend #5: Competition From Disruptive Healthcare Models

We’ve seen upheaval in the realm of healthcare disruptors — as Walmart has pulled out and Walgreens has pulled back, Best Buy has jumped in. Healthcare disruptors are finding out something traditional healthcare organizations (HCOs) have known for some time: Success in the healthcare industry is a complicated. But we are seeing disruptors to the traditional healthcare model find that success. Companies like Hims, Hers, and Henry Meds combine the best of empathetic, consumer-friendly language with convenient, powerful commerce experiences designed to help users way find and convert quickly.

Recommended Approach: Traditional HCOs that want to compete against successful disruptors require thoughtful, thorough business transformation. Take stock of your organization’s KPIs and how you are measuring success. Are you driving toward growth? If so, is it the right kind of growth to stand out? Next, determine whether you’re meeting the evolving expectations of today’s healthcare consumers. Be mindful of considerations around health equity and social determinants of health (SDOH) and align your strategies to match. Ultimately, we’re seeing powerful outcomes from organizations that shift from a project-focused model to a product-driven approach. Product-driven healthcare enables greater agility to respond to market shifts and fluctuations, as well as industry trends, the uncertainty of changes in healthcare regulation, and the demands of today’s consumers.

Read More: Is Your Healthcare Organization Really Product-Driven?

Healthcare Trend #6: Better Health Outcomes Through Shared Health Data

Efforts to reduce costs and improve health outcomes are driving collaboration among HCOs as health plans and integrated systems aim to more-holistically support consumer health, ease the care journey, and reduce the cost of care. Clinical data spanning an individual’s various provider relationships is crucial for a comprehensive patient view. Meanwhile, leaders continue to explore ways AI and automation can illuminate a 360-degree consumer view to power personalization, boost retention, and increase business resilience. These discussions are forcing focus toward data quality, consistency, governance, and bias.

Recommended Approach: Cloud services’ importance has surged to meet the growing need for real-time, accessible data. We recommend that HCOs continue building a scalable foundation to connect and integrate consumer data across health systems, providers, and insurers. This requires focus in several key areas, including data integration, data management. and data consistency and quality. Only then can data be richly woven into a reliable 360-degree view of the consumer that spans and supports better care management, marketing engagement, and support services. To optimize costs, we anticipate increasing adoption of data virtualization (a.k.a., Data as a Service, or DaaS). This unified data access layer approach bypasses the need to replicate data across various patient and member data management systems (e.g., data warehouses, MarTech, contact center, etc.), and offers a single view of enriched and transformed data from multiple data sources.

Explore More: Data-Driven Companies Move Faster and Smarter

Healthcare Trend #7: Care For the Aging and Underserved

An aging consumer base and a growing emphasis on health equity are reshaping patient engagement and business models for HCOs. According to the National Institute on Aging, approximately 85% of older adults have at least one chronic health condition, and 60% have at least two chronic conditions. In response, health insurers intensified focus on Medicare Advantage and Medicaid managed care plans to effectively serve a more diverse and underserved member population. Concurrently, providers are expanding into digitally connected services, such as telemedicine, remote patient monitoring, and personalized care plans, enabling patients to manage their health in more convenient and accessible settings. These shifts not only enhance patient experience and satisfaction but also foster a more inclusive healthcare system that addresses the unique needs of various demographic groups.

Recommended Approach: Deeply understand your patients’ and members’ journeys so you can deliver differentiated digital experiences in an increasingly crowded marketplace. Improve brand affinity with intuitive, personalized, accessible care moments that build trust (and bolster Star ratings). Intelligently automate systems and processes to optimize costs and build margin that can buffer potential shifts in reimbursement models. The integration of Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) data adds value by addressing factors like transportation, housing, and food security that impact health outcomes. Through a surround-care approach, powered with important health insights and intuitive tools, HCOs can strengthen community and individual health. This comprehensive strategy enhances engagement and trust while promoting better health outcomes and equity across diverse populations.

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Healthcare Trend #8: Mandate-Driven Transformation

Regulatory mandates continue to drive significant investment and effort from all HCO’s. Leaders strive to meet evolving requirements in CMS interoperability and prior authorization, price transparency, TEFCA, and others. Meanwhile, HHS insight on PHI and legal cases muddy the waters of HIPAA. In general, the effort to understand expectations, implement new functionality, and abide by existing mandates continues to increase. These mandates may seem simple at first, but they have significant implications as insurers work to incorporate patient data using standards common to the provider world. HCOs cannot simply repurpose hastily-constructed solutions from earlier mandates as a foundation for future compliance. Upcoming mandates are meant to build upon those that came before. Without a scalable approach and a thoughtful architecture, HCO’s will find themselves with an ever-increasing debt burden.

Recommended Approach: We encourage leaders to identify mandates’ silver lining opportunities. After all, to remain competitive and compliant, HCOs must innovate in ways that add business value, meet consumers’ evolving expectations, build trust, and deliver equitable care and services. Achieving transformative outcomes and health experiences requires a digital strategy that not only satisfies mandates but also aligns the enterprise around a shared vision and actionable KPIs, ultimately keeping patients, members, and care teams at the heart of progress.

Therefore, we recommend that HCOs approach mandates as a set of iterations, using a strategy-first approach that holistically considers the broader mandate and regulatory landscape. Keep a pulse on what other healthcare organizations – especially new market entrants and disruptors – are doing. Adapt digital best practices from outside of the healthcare industry. And deeply understand the nuance of interoperability standards, patient data modeling, API gateways, and SMART on FHIR applications.

The most successful organizations will build a proper foundation that scales and supports successive mandates. Composable architecture offers a powerful, flexible approach that balances “best in breed,” fit-for-purpose solutions while bypassing unneeded, costly features or services. Tactically, organizations can accelerate value, privacy, and data quality with secure, compliant, and modern technology platforms and data architectures. It’s also vital to build trust in data and with consumers, paving the way for ubiquitous, fact-based decision making that supports health and enables relationships across the care continuum.

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Expert Digital Healthcare Consulting Services: Imagine, Create, Engineer, Run

In this next decade, advances in digital health, growing consumerism, and mounting financial constraints will propel how HCOs shape experiences and deliver equitable, high-quality, cost-effective care.

Perficient combines strategy, industry best practices, and technology expertise to deliver award-winning results for leading health plans and providers:

• Business Transformation: Activate strategy for transformative outcomes and health experiences.
• Modernization: Maximize technology to drive health innovation, efficiency, and interoperability.
• Data Analytics: Power enterprise agility and accelerate healthcare insights.
• Consumer Experience: Connect, ease, and elevate impactful health journeys.

We are trusted by leading technology partners, mentioned by analysts, and Modern Healthcare consistently ranks us as one of the largest healthcare consulting firms.

Discover why we have been trusted by the 10 largest health systems and the 10 largest health insurers in the U.S. Explore our healthcare expertise and contact us to learn more.

How to ensure your toolset matches your vision, team and long term goals.

Seems common sense right? Use the right tool for the right purpose. However, in the DXP and Drupal space, we often see folks trying to fit their project to the tool and not the tool to the project.

There are many modules, profiles, and approaches to building Drupal out there, and most all of them have their time and place. The key is knowing when to implement which and why. I am going to take a little time here a dive into one of those key decisions that we find ourselves at Perficient facing frequently and how we work with our clients to ensure the proper approach is selected for their Drupal application.

Site Studio vs Standard Drupal(blocks, views, content, etc..) vs Layout Builder

I would say this is the most common area where we see confusion related to the best tooling and how to pick. To start let’s do a summary of the various options(there are many more approaches available but these are the common ones we encounter), as well as their pros and cons.

First, we have Acquia Site Studio, it is a low-code site management tool built on top of Drupal. And it is SLICK. They provide web user editable templates, components, helpers, and more that allow a well trained Content Admin to have control of almost every aspect of the look and feel of the website. There is drag and drop editors for all templates that would traditionally be TWIG, as well as UI editors for styles, fonts and more. This is the cadillac of low code solutions for Drupal, but that comes with some trade offs in terms of developer customizability and config management strategies. We have also noticed, that not every content team actually utilizes the full scope of Site Studio features, which can lead to additional complexity without any benefit, but when the team is right, Site Studio is a very powerful tool.

The next option we frequently see, is a standard Drupal build utilizing Content Types and Blocks to control page layouts, with WYSIWYG editors for rich content and a standard Drupal theme with SASS, TWIG templates, etc…. This is the one you see most developer familiarity with, as well as the most flexibility to implement custom work as well as clean configuration management. The trade off here, is that most customizations will require a developer to build them out, and content editors are limited to “color between the lines” of what was initially built. We have experienced both content teams that were very satisfied with the defined controls, but also teams that felt handcuffed with the limitations and desired more UI/UX customizations without deployments/developer involvement.

The third and final option we will be discussing here, is the Standard Drupal option described above, with the addition of Layout Builder. Layout Builder is a Drupal Core module that enables users to attach layouts, such as 1 column, 2 column and more to various Drupal Entity types(Content, Users, etc..). These layouts then support the placement of blocks into their various regions to give users drag and drop flexibility over laying out their content. Layout Builder does not support full site templates or custom theme work such as site wide CSS changes. Layout Builder can be a good middle ground for content teams not looking for the full customization and accompanying complexity of Site Studio, but desiring some level of content layout control. Layout builder does come with some permissions and configuration management considerations. It is important to decide what is treated as content and what as configuration, as well as define roles and permissions to ensure proper editors have access to the right level of customizations.

Now that we have covered the options as well as the basic pros and cons of each, how do you know which tool is right for your team and your project? This is where we at Perficient start with a holistic review of your needs, short and long term goals, as well as the technical ability of your internal team. It is important to honestly evaluate this. Just because something has all the bells and whistles, do you have the team and time to utilize them, or is it a sunk cost with limited ROI. On the flip side, if you have a very technically robust team, you don’t want to handcuff them and leave them frustrated with limitations that could impact marketing opportunities that could lead to higher ROI.

Additional considerations that can help guide your choice in toolset would be future goals and initiatives. Is a rebrand coming soon? Is your team going to quickly expand with more technical staff? These might point towards Site Studio as the right choice. Is your top priority consistency and limiting unnecessary customizations? Then standard structured content might be the best approach. Do you want to able to customize your site, but just don’t have the time or budget to undertake Site Studio? Layout Builder might be something you should closely look at.

Perficient starts these considerations at the first discussions with our potential clients, and continue to guide them through the sales and estimation process to ensure the right basic Drupal tooling is selected. This then continues through implementation as we continue to inform stakeholders about the best toolsets beyond the core systems. In future articles we will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of various SSO, DAM, Analytics, Drupal module solutions as well as the new Star Shot Drupal Initiative and how it will impact the planning of your next Drupal build!

Perficient is proud to announce that we received awards from the 2024 eHealthcare Leadership Awards for our outstanding projects that we completed for MVP Health Care and QuidelOrtho.

MVP Health Care Informs and Impresses Users With an Optimized, Modern Website

Best Overall Internet Site, Gold | A user-friendly architecture provides key information to help guide members to the right plan. Improvements have led to a 44% boost in plan shopping visits and increased time spent on site by 10%. | https://www.mvphealthcare.com

QuidelOrtho’s New Website Personalizes the Digital Customer Experience for a New Brand

Best Overall Internet Site, Distinction | Personas and journey insights enable highly relevant experiences for each segment. Search-optimized assets match the right audience with the right content. A newly unified brand experience has led to a 6500% increase in monthly organic clicks. | https://www.quidelortho.com/global/en

We stitch together strategy, data, and technology to streamline processes that improve quality of care for in-person and virtual experiences.

• Business Transformation: Activate strategy for transformative outcomes and health experiences.
• Modernization: Maximize technology to drive health innovation, efficiency, and interoperability.
• Data + Analytics: Power enterprise agility and accelerate healthcare insights.
• Consumer Experience: Connect, ease, and elevate impactful health journeys.

“The eHealthcare Leadership Awards for Best Overall Internet Site highlight our innovative approach to healthcare solutions. We combine strategy, industry best practices, data, and technology expertise to shape the experiences and engagement of healthcare consumers, streamline operations, and improve the cost, quality, and equity of care. ​We are proud to accept these awards.”

– Brent Teiken, Perficient General Manager, Healthcare + Life Sciences

We sincerely congratulate MVP Health Care and QuidelOrtho for their remarkable achievements and dedication to enhancing and advancing healthcare.

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Healthcare leaders are engaging us in a variety of discussions to explore intelligent automation’s role for complex business challenges, ranging from efforts to enhance consumer trust and use artificial intelligence (AI) in effective ways, to navigating change that comes with prior authorization mandates. This series shares key insights coming from those discussions.  

As the saying goes, diamonds are made under pressure, and the most impactful opportunities are often those that challenge leaders the most. 

Prior Authorization, In a Nutshell

The CMS Prior Authorization mandate, which goes into effect on January 1, 2026, aims to reduce guesswork for healthcare consumers and the administrative burden on care teams, and to improve patient/member care by streamlining processes and enhancing the exchange of health information. 

Enabling prior authorization through API development is a good start; however, APIs are not a comprehensive solution. Rather, the introduction of multiple third-party APIs creates new processes and steps, often prompting manual follow-ups to track and connect data gathered from multiple sources. In addition, these new data points require new data models and methods to handle patient data.  

To address these inherent challenges, healthcare leaders are prioritizing investments in interoperability and automation technologies. 

Intelligent Automation Supports Prior Authorization and Business Efficiencies

True trust-enhancing transparency can be unlocked through intelligent automation. This is especially true as low-code, more-approachable AI, machine learning (ML) and Generative AI (GenAI) capabilities enter the mix. 

Intelligent automation connects digital process automation (DPA), robotic process automation (RPA), and artificial intelligence (AI) to deliver efficient and intelligent processes and align all aspects of your organization with the vision of constant process improvement, technological integration, and increasing consumer value. 

Although DPA, RPA and AI don’t make final decisions, they can streamline and leverage information, so the right decision gets made. Health insurers are always seeking access to actionable information about their members while adhering to data privacy laws and regulations. 

Getting to that actionable data requires multiple considerations: 

• Using best practices to assemble and curate the right data fields for any given use case 

• A continuous process of identifying and resolving issues in core systems 

• Appropriate environments in which to store data to maintain its integrity, security, and accessibility 

• Only then can you effectively enable specific sub-functions (i.e. functions that ingest the data then act or recommend actions) to happen accurately and on time 

Streamline and Optimize Prior Auth Processes

Every step in the prior authorization process has potential for improvement using intelligent automation. It can support, enhance, and accelerate based on rules engines, event logs, decision rules, and simple automations of high-volume processes. 

These intelligent tools streamline information sharing between payers and providers, reducing the need for repeated exchanges and guesswork, enhancing clinical review, and ensuring timely, accurate decisions. 

Intelligent automation rapidly optimizes the prior authorization workflows that occur at the edge of what can conveniently and cost-effectively be managed through APIs. AI and machine learning (ML) can assist required communications, reporting, and decision flows in many ways, including: 

• Orchestration: Automate the coordination of tasks and data flow between disparate systems and stakeholders. 

• Monitoring: Continuously track the status of prior authorization requests and flag any issues or delays. 

• Standardization: Ensure consistent repeatable workflows and processes across all systems to facilitate smoother information exchange. 

YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY: Evolving Healthcare: Generative AI Strategy for Payers and Providers 

Best Practices to Transform Prior Authorization Experiences

Intelligent automation enhances and overlays existing systems, helping to accelerate the prior authorization process with greater efficiency and generating insights into any recurring root causes in process breakdowns. 

As you’re approaching your prior authorization initiatives, we recommend the following transformation best practices: 

Transformation Tip #1: Cross-Functional Feedback

Maintaining cross-functional feedback is essential to identify and address pain points effectively. Automation allows for healthcare providers to quickly identify and communicate common pain points, such as inaccurate or incomplete record keeping, avoiding common pitfalls in the prior authorization process. 

Transformation Tip #2: Measurement and Tracking

Automated processes provide valuable insights for contracting, reporting requirements, and more. By measuring and tracking these processes, efficiency, effectiveness, and consumer experience are greatly impacted. This information can be used to improve upstream messaging to patients and members about prior authorizations.  

The overlay of technology not only increases operational efficiencies, but it also provides valuable insights that can be used to improve communication and support for consumers. 

Empowering Solutions for Healthcare

We partner with healthcare leaders to optimize prior authorization experiences and drive transparent, consistent engagement with consumers.  

Interested in learning more? In a recent webinar, our experts explored how better prior authorization experiences could enhance consumer trust in healthcare. 

Discover why we’ve been trusted by the 10 largest healthcare systems and 10 largest health insurers and are consistently recognized by Modern Healthcare as a leading healthcare consulting firm. Contact us today to explore how we can help you forge better experiences and improve outcomes.

Visual aids are a powerful tool for improving communication and understanding in healthcare, especially for individuals with cognitive disabilities. By incorporating visual aids into the healthcare environment, providers can help ensure that all patients receive clear, comprehensible information about their health. Here’s how to effectively implement visual aids:

The Importance of Visual Aids

Visual aids enhance the communication process by providing visual representations of information. For individuals with cognitive disabilities, visual aids can simplify complex concepts, aid memory, and improve overall comprehension, making healthcare more accessible and effective.

Strategies for Incorporating Visual Aids

Use Diagrams and Charts

Medical Conditions and Treatments: Use diagrams and charts to explain medical conditions, treatment options, and procedures. Visual representations can make it easier for patients to understand complex medical information.
Step-by-Step Instructions: Provide step-by-step diagrams for tasks such as taking medication, wound care, and using medical devices. This helps patients follow instructions accurately.

Create Infographics

Summarize Key Information: Design infographics to summarize important health information. Infographics can condense large amounts of data into easy-to-understand visuals, highlighting key points and making the information more memorable.
Use Icons and Symbols: Include icons and symbols to represent common healthcare terms and actions. This can aid in quick recognition and understanding.

Develop Interactive Tools

Digital Health Apps: Utilize digital health apps that incorporate visual aids such as interactive charts, progress trackers, and educational videos. These tools can engage patients and provide visual reinforcement of verbal instructions.
Interactive Kiosks: Set up interactive kiosks in healthcare facilities where patients can access visual information about their health, upcoming procedures, and general wellness tips.

Integrate Visual Aids into Communication

Patient Consultations: Use visual aids during patient consultations to explain diagnoses, treatment plans, and health management strategies. This can enhance patient-provider communication and ensure that patients fully understand their care.
Educational Materials: Provide educational materials that include visual aids. Pamphlets, brochures, and posters with diagrams and pictures can be helpful for reinforcing verbal information.

Benefits of Incorporating Visual Aids

Incorporating visual aids in healthcare offers several benefits:

Improved Comprehension: Visual aids help patients understand complex information, making it easier for them to grasp medical concepts and follow care instructions.
Enhanced Memory Retention: Visual representations can aid in memory retention, helping patients remember important details about their health and treatment.
Increased Engagement: Visual aids can make the healthcare experience more engaging for patients, encouraging active participation in their care.

A hospital in Sydney implemented visual aids across their patient education programs. They used diagrams to explain surgical procedures, created infographics for post-operative care instructions, and developed interactive digital tools for managing chronic conditions. As a result, patients reported better understanding of their care plans and higher satisfaction with their healthcare experience.
Incorporating visual aids is a key component of universal design in healthcare for cognitive disabilities. By using diagrams, charts, infographics, and interactive tools, healthcare providers can enhance communication, improve comprehension, and create a more inclusive environment for all patients. Together, let’s build a healthcare system that is truly accessible for everyone.

A cornerstone of universal design in healthcare is the use of plain language. For individuals with cognitive disabilities, plain language transforms complex medical information into understandable and actionable insights, ensuring they can make informed decisions about their health. Here’s how healthcare providers can implement plain language effectively:

The Importance of Plain Language

Using plain language in healthcare communication is essential for ensuring that patients with cognitive disabilities can understand and engage with their healthcare. It breaks down barriers to comprehension and fosters a supportive environment where all patients feel informed and empowered.

Strategies for Using Plain Language

Simplify Medical Terminology

Avoid Jargon: Replace complex medical terminology with straightforward language. For example, instead of saying “myocardial infarction,” use “heart attack.”
Everyday Words: Use everyday words that patients are familiar with. This helps ensure that they can easily grasp the information being communicated.

Break Information into Small Chunks

Short Sentences: Use short, simple sentences. Breaking information into small, digestible chunks makes it easier for patients to follow along and remember key points.
Bullet Points and Lists: Organize information using bullet points and lists. This format is easier to read and helps patients quickly find the information they need.

Be Direct and Concise

Get to the Point: Communicate the most important information first. Be direct and concise to avoid overwhelming patients with too much detail at once.
Limit Details: Provide only the necessary details that patients need to know. If more detailed information is required, offer it in a separate document or follow-up conversation.

Use Visual Aids

Diagrams and Charts: Supplement verbal and written information with visual aids. Diagrams, charts, and pictures can help clarify complex concepts and reinforce understanding.
Infographics: Create infographics that present information in a visually appealing and easy-to-understand format. Infographics can be particularly effective for summarizing key points.

Provide Examples and Analogies

Relatable Examples: Use examples and analogies that patients can relate to. This helps bridge the gap between unfamiliar medical concepts and everyday experiences.
Storytelling: Incorporate storytelling techniques to explain health conditions and treatments. Stories can make the information more memorable and relatable.

Benefits of Using Plain Language

Implementing plain language in healthcare communication offers several benefits:

Enhanced Understanding: Patients are more likely to understand their health conditions, treatment options, and care instructions.
Improved Compliance: When patients fully comprehend their care plans, they are more likely to follow through with medical advice and treatment regimens.
Increased Confidence: Clear and simple communication builds patients’ confidence in their ability to manage their health, leading to better engagement and outcomes.
A community health center in Chicago adopted plain language principles to improve communication with patients with cognitive disabilities. They trained staff to avoid jargon, use short sentences, and provide visual aids. As a result, patients reported a higher level of understanding and satisfaction with their care.
Using plain language is a powerful tool for creating an inclusive and supportive healthcare environment for individuals with cognitive disabilities. By simplifying medical information and communicating clearly, healthcare providers can ensure that all patients feel informed, empowered, and engaged in their care. Together, let’s build a healthcare system that is truly accessible for everyone.

One of the fundamental principles of universal design in healthcare is ensuring clear and simple communication. For individuals with cognitive disabilities, this principle is crucial as it helps them understand and engage with their healthcare more effectively. Here’s how healthcare providers can implement clear and simple communication:

The Importance of Clear and Simple Communication

Individuals with cognitive disabilities often face challenges in processing complex information. Clear and simple communication removes barriers, ensuring that all patients can understand their health conditions, treatments, and care instructions. This leads to better patient outcomes and a more inclusive healthcare environment.

Strategies for Clear and Simple Communication

Use Plain Language

Avoid Jargon: Replace medical jargon and complex terminology with plain, everyday language. For example, instead of saying “hypertension,” use “high blood pressure.”
Short Sentences: Use short, simple sentences to convey information. Break down complex ideas into smaller, manageable parts to make them easier to understand.

Incorporate Visual Aids

Diagrams and Charts: Use visual aids such as diagrams, charts, and pictures to explain medical conditions, procedures, and treatment plans. Visual aids help reinforce verbal information and make complex concepts more comprehensible.
Infographics: Create infographics that summarize key information. Infographics are an excellent way to present data in a visually appealing and easy-to-understand format.

Repetition and Summarization

Repeat Key Points: Repeat important information multiple times to reinforce understanding. Summarize key points at the end of a conversation or consultation to ensure that patients remember crucial details.
Written Summaries: Provide written summaries of verbal instructions. This allows patients to review the information at their own pace and refer back to it as needed.

 Interactive Communication

Ask for Feedback: Encourage patients to ask questions and provide feedback to ensure they understand the information. Use open-ended questions to gauge their comprehension.
Teach-Back Method: Use the teach-back method, where patients repeat the information in their own words. This helps confirm their understanding and identify areas that need further clarification.

Benefits of Clear and Simple Communication

Implementing clear and simple communication offers several benefits:

Enhanced Understanding: Patients are more likely to understand their health conditions and care plans, leading to better adherence to treatment.
Reduced Anxiety: Clear communication reduces anxiety and confusion, helping patients feel more comfortable and confident in their healthcare journey.
Improved Health Outcomes: When patients understand their care instructions, they are more likely to follow them correctly, resulting in better health outcomes.
A healthcare clinic in Toronto adopted clear and simple communication strategies to support patients with cognitive disabilities. They replaced complex medical jargon with plain language, used visual aids to explain procedures, and provided written summaries of verbal instructions. As a result, patients reported higher satisfaction and better understanding of their care plans.
Clear and simple communication is a vital component of universal design in healthcare for cognitive disabilities. By implementing these strategies, healthcare providers can create a more inclusive and supportive environment, ensuring that all patients receive the care and information they need. Together, let’s build a healthcare system that is truly accessible for everyone.