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Building An Optimal Customer Experience
When Sharp HealthCare decided to implement Epic across the system, the system had to decide how MyChart would align with its existing consumer initiatives. The system determined that the standard MyChart would not differentiate the system (because it was used by competitors) nor would it support its 300K capitated patients.
Therefore, Administrative Executive Fellow Kelly Faley at Sharp HealthCare spearheaded an initiative that focused on incorporating a custom, consumer-friendly app into MyChart during the system’s Epic implementation. She focused on creating an app that would both increase the patient use of self-service tools to decrease labor costs as well as helping to clarify costs for capitated patients.
Methods
Sharp used a product management approach in the evaluation, design and development of the app. The product management team evaluated patient needs, operational workflows, technical feasibility, and the core MyChart functionality in all decision-making.
Guiding principles for decisions included:
Put patient needs first; change operational workflows if necessary
Customize where necessary; rely on standard MyChart for the tasks it does well
Results
The system produced a hybrid app that is unique but also leverages the development provided by Epic. The Epic implementation and the app launched simultaneously on March 1, 2024. In addition to differentiating Sharp from its competitors, the new app includes key features that standard MyChart could not offer such as:
Easy-to-use navigation and design proven to delight users and drive self-service
HMO filters that ensure only in-network providers and locations display for capitated patients
Access to contracted providers and locations that are not on Epic and would not be
available via standard MyChart
Self-service triage tools that provide guidance for same-day care options