It's been one heck of an 18 months in the healthcare industry. The COVID-19 pandemic caught everyone off guard and it sometimes feels we've been scrambling to catch up ever since.

This can mean some healthcare providers have been too busy reacting to global and local events to focus too hard on the patient experience, but this crucial element of healthcare provision cannot be ignored. In fact, some may argue that with the national discourse so heavily focused on health, providing patients with as comfortable and pleasant experience as possible - given the circumstances - is more critical now than ever before.

One healthcare provider which hasn't let up when it comes to patient experience is the world-renowned Mayo Clinic, and it's set to make sure it carries this philosophy through the remainder of 2021 and beyond.

Mayo Clinic

As one of the world's most well-known and highly regarded healthcare institutions, Mayo Clinic has long been an innovator in the area of patient experience.

For example, The Mayo Clinic Centre for Humanities in Medicine has been innovating with artistic therapies, designed to help nurture the emotional and spiritual growth of patients alongside tending to their physical needs. Included in the program are activities such as music and dance performances, art exhibits, live theatre, as well as workshops and lectures in all these topics, as well as a beside art program for those less mobile patients.

"The Mayo Clinic's primary value is that the needs of the patient come first," said Mayo Clinic in its mission statement. "In addition, the Mayo Clinic believes in several core values, which were created by the center's founders. These values include respect, integrity, compassion, healing, teamwork, innovation, excellence, and stewardship. It is Mayo Clinic's goal to provide the best possible care to each patient, which is done through clinical work, education, and research."

However, one area in which Mayo Clinic has really been working hard is in the application of digital technology to the patient experience. In particular, its revolutionary patient portal program.

The Mayo Clinic Platform

Announced in 2019 and finally launched in 2020, the Mayo Clinic platform has grown at an accelerated pace and transformed the way in which the famous healthcare brand has been able to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.

The idea behind the platform is to make the option for patients to receive the majority of their healthcare needs from the comfort of their own home available to more people than ever before. Obviously with the COVID-19 pandemic hospital beds are at a premium and anything which can be done to free up space in healthcare centers and make the patient experience more pleasant for everyone is not to be sniffed at.

The platform uses a combination of artificial intelligence, data analytics, and connected care to provide a seamless patient experience for those staying at home.

One example given by Mayo Clinic in a press release tells the story of an 83-year-old Florida man who contracted COVID-19 around Thanksgiving time in 2020. After receiving his diagnosis and initial treatment at a Mayo Clinic location, he and his wife were able to spend Christmas together at home thanks to the Mayo Clinic Platform.

"The platform was in the right place at the right time," said John Halamka, M.D., President, Mayo Clinic Platform. "COVID-19 has forced a level of focus and collaboration that the platform was designed for, enabling private and public-private collaborations."

And that's not all! Mayo Clinic has recently announced a joint investment venture with Kaiser, to further expand the virtual patient experience. The investment in Boston-based "hospital at home" technology provider, Medically Home Group, will seek to make its 24/7 clinician staffed virtual command center, patients' EHRs, and software that supports communication, monitoring and safety system technologies in the home, available to more patients than ever before.

"Patients expect and deserve high-quality care and excellent outcomes in a convenient and comfortable setting, even when faced with complex medical challenges," said Mayo Clinic CEO Gianrico Farrugia, MD, in a press release. "Our partnership with Kaiser Permanente and Medically Home will create the next generation of patient-centric, compassionate healthcare that seamlessly integrates advanced technology with clinical expertise."

Final Thoughts

It is understandable that the COVID-19 pandemic has forced many healthcare providers to put patient experience on the back burner for a moment. However, it is arguably more important than ever and it's great to see industry leaders such as Mayo Clinic devoting so much time and energy to further developing its offering in this area.

You can hear Mayo Clinic's Vice Chair, Medical Director for Patient Experience, Thomas G. Howell M.D., speak at NGPX 2021, taking place in December, at the JW Marriott Palm Desert Resort & Spa.

Download the agenda today for more information and insights.