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Creating a Positive Patient Journey: From Diagnosis to Survival and Beyond
Imagine the healthcare journey as a winding path, filled with twists, turns and unexpected obstacles. For patients, navigating this terrain can be overwhelming and fraught with anxiety. The patient journey, a complex and often stressful one, is a critical yet often overlooked aspect of healthcare. From the moment a patient first experiences symptoms and on through their entire health journey, their experience is unique.
To deliver truly exceptional care, providers must become skilled navigators, mapping and improving this journey to create a supportive and empowering experience for every patient. By prioritizing the patient perspective and focusing on creating positive patient journeys, healthcare organizations can enhance patient satisfaction, improve outcomes and foster stronger relationships with their communities.
The Patient Journey Explored
The patient journey is a deeply personal experience. While many individuals share similar diagnoses or treatment plans, the overall path is uniquely individual. However, the common threads that are present through these journeys offer valuable insights for providers. By understanding the common stages of the patient journey and the potential challenges patients face at each stage, providers can improve care delivery and patient engagement while fostering stronger patient relationships. Even for seasoned providers, a refresher of the patient journey is still valuable and serves as a helpful reminder and opportunity to identify areas of improvement.
The Patient Journey
Recognize symptoms.
Patient notices an abnormal sign or symptom that leads to concerns.
Challenge: Patient feels anxiety about finding and uncertainty of future.
Schedules PCP appointment.
Patient schedules an appointment with their primary care physician (PCP).
Challenge: Possible long wait time for appointment and difficulty getting timely appointments.
Attends PCP appointment.
PCP collects information and may recommend tests to get more insights.
Challenge: Information gathering and potential delays associated with it.
Schedules recommended tests.
Patient schedules additional tests as recommended and if necessary.
Challenge: Scheduling additional tests and wait times associated with having the test.
Takes recommended tests.
Patient attends test session.
Challenge: Patient feels anxiety during the testing process.
Waits for results.
Patient waits for test results from their PCP.
Challenge: Waiting for test results causes anxiety.
Receives test results.
PCP receives test results and shares results with the patient.
Challenge: Patient feels stress receiving diagnosis and next steps.
Receives referral to specialist.
Patient is referred to a specialist.
Challenge: Wait time for specialist appointment.
Schedules specialist appointment.
Patient schedules an appointment with the specialist.
Challenge: Wait time for specialist appointment.
Attends specialist consultation.
Patient meets with the specialist to discuss diagnosis and treatment options.
Challenge: Understanding complex medical information and making informed decisions about treatment options.
Begins treatment.
Patient begins treatment under the specialist’s oversight.
Challenge: Patient experiences side effects and challenges of treatment.
Enters early survivorship.
Patient experiences close follow-up care for the first two years post-treatment.
Challenge: Frequent doctor visits and monitoring. Patient feels fear of potential recurrence.
Enters extended survivorship.
Patient continues to experience close follow-up care between year three and year five posttreatment.
Challenge: Frequent doctor visits and monitoring. Patient feels fear of potential recurrence.
Enters long-term survivorship or hospice.
Patient continues to experience close follow-up care or enters hospice depending on health outcomes.
Challenge: Long-term health management or end-of-life care. Patient feels fear of potential recurrence.
The patient journey is complex as illustrated. These frustrations are prevalent across healthcare, not just oncology, and highlight the need for system-wide improvements. There are present bottlenecks and pain points for both providers and patients nestled in with the opportunity to improve care delivery in all specialties. This holistic understanding empowers providers to create more patient-centered and supportive journeys and align with value-based care initiatives. This then becomes a powerful step in the right direction for patient care.
Contributing to the Patient Journey
The patient journey and patient experience are intertwined; patient experiences are integral to every stage of the journey. The patient experience dives deeper than the journey, encompassing every interaction and touchpoint. As defined by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the patient experience “encompasses the range of interactions that patients have with the healthcare system, including their care from health plans, and from doctors, nurses, and staff in hospitals, physician practices, and other healthcare facilities.”
A critical component of value-based care and its patient-centered care approach is understanding the patient experience. It has the potential to uncover patients’ personal needs and even values. Startling statistics highlight the need for change and focus. In a study by The Harris Poll and featured by the American Academy of Physician Associates, it discovered that 73% of adults shared that the healthcare system has fallen short of their needs, while 31% state that excessive wait times for appointments are too long — a finding that is very familiar in healthcare. Moreover, 64% desire more provider time and understanding, and 40% fear speaking up during appointments. These findings demand immediate attention. It is time to move forward with these findings and make changes at the practice level to pave the way for impactful changes at the industry level.
Improving the patient journey and experience begins before patients step foot in the clinic. By positively addressing patient needs and expectations, providers can support their patients through each stage. To achieve this, here are several opportunities to consider:
Prioritize patient feedback: Actively ask patients for feedback on their experiences and document their specific journey to identify areas of improvement.
Empower patients with knowledge: Offer valuable and accessible resources that support patients at every stage of their care.
Build strong patient relationships: Provide personalized communication channels and ensure easy access to the practice, whether that is on the phone or in person.
Streamline the patient experience: For example, implement efficient appointment scheduling, reminder and intake processes to minimize patient frustration and stress.
How AON and Its Practices are Contributing to the Patient Journey
AON is a collaborative network empowering community oncology practices to thrive and deliver exceptional patient care. By providing essential business support and innovative solutions, AON enables providers to focus on what matters most: their patients. For instance, dedicated care coordination teams play a vital role in addressing the social determinants of health, which are the non-medical factors that impact a person’s health and well-being such as where they live, work and play among other conditions. These factors contribute to 80% of a person’s health, with zip code serving as the most significant predictor of health outcomes. This team can identify the barriers to care, like the lack of affordable housing, food insecurity or limited transportation to and from appointments, and help remove the challenges that keep patients from accessing and benefiting from the care they need. Care coordination teams are designed to offer comprehensive support, from patient management and nutrition guidance to family assistance and survivorship planning and are key players in the patient journey. Strategic partnerships with industry leaders further enhance patient care and experience.
Local practices amplify these efforts through innovative initiatives that support the patient journey. Practices may consider launching a COA Patient Advocacy Network (CPAN) chapter for the community and hosting cancer and survivor support groups. These community-driven programs create a supportive environment for patients and their caregivers, fostering resilience and hope.
Understanding and optimizing the patient journey and focusing on the patient experience are how practices align with value-based care and elevate the patient care provided. By placing patients at the center of care delivery and proactively addressing their needs and expectations, providers can create a transformative healthcare experience. Embracing a patient-centric approach is not merely a goal but a strategic imperative for the future of healthcare.
AON practices champion the patient journey by prioritizing overall health and well-being, not just patients’ medical needs. Here are some examples of how practices go above and beyond the standard of care:
Hope Cancer Care of Nevada exemplifies this commitment by launching a CPAN chapter, hosting a Cancer Survivor Night at the Ballpark event and providing monthly support groups.
Zangmeister Cancer Center holds an annual “Inspire, Survive and Thrive Patient Day,” a special event dedicated to supporting patients in their fight against cancer.
