title: Patient Relationship Management: What the U.S. Healthcare System Can Learn from Other Industries.
abstract: As the U.S. healthcare system moves to value-based care, the importance of engaging patients and families continues to intensify. However, simply engaging patients and families to improve their subjective satisfaction will not be enough for providers who want to maximize value. True optimization entails developing deep and long-term relationships with patients. We suggest that healthcare organizations must build such a discipline of "patient relationship management" (PRM) just as companies in non-healthcare industries have done with the concept of customer relationship management (CRM). Some providers have already made strides in this area, but overall it has been underemphasized or ignored by most healthcare systems to date. As healthcare providers work to develop their dedicated PRM systems, tools, and processes, we suggest they may benefit from emulating companies in other industries who have been able to engage their customers in innovative ways while acknowledging the differences between healthcare and other industries.
authors: Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins Hospital, 1800 Orleans St, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA. Michael.Poku@jhmi.edu.
authors: Michael K
authors: MK
authors: Poku
authors: Strategy & Commercial Model Innovation, Merck & Co., Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors: Nima A
authors: NA
authors: Behkami
authors: Division of General Internal Medicine and Primary Care, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.|Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
authors: David W
authors: DW
authors: Bates
mesh_terms: D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D019981:Health Care Sector / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D015279:Organizational Culture; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D014481:United States
keywords: efficiency; patient engagement; patient participation; patient satisfaction; value