Mobile companion apps can be used to extend the patient-provider relationship beyond traditional in-person interactions. However, past health apps have often failed because they were disconnected from existing health records and clinical workflows. Effective companion apps would need to integrate with electronic health record systems used by providers and address how doctors would use the apps as part of their existing practices. Developing companion apps can help improve patient engagement, satisfaction, and trust in providers by providing information to patients before and after visits and strengthening the personal connection in healthcare.

1. What are mobile companion apps?
(And how can they be used in your next service line marketing campaign?)

2. Jared Johnson
Manager, Digital Marketing
Phoenix Children’s Hospital
Top 100 Digital Health Influencer,
Author + Podcaster
Shawn Gross
Chief Digital Strategist
White Rhino
Previously Digital Director,
Massachusetts General Hospital

3. Today’s talk

5. Bad News AboutYour Favorite Health Apps:
They Don’tWork
Disconnected from patients’ existing health records and data
+
Developed independent of (and in conflict with) clinical workflow

6. Who can we learn from?

9. #engagementmarketing
Directly engages consumers and invites and encourages
them to actively participate in the evolution of a brand.
participation = relationship building.

11. “Is our marketing approach still
accurately reflecting the changing
marketplace?”

12. In a recent study
68% of practices’ resources were spent
on advertising and sponsorships
Yet these efforts were named by fewer
than 1% of patients as influencing their
decisions about where to seek care
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, “The Average Return on “Marketing” Is Negative.” Bill Champion,June 2013

13. T H E S E S A M E P R A C T I C E S
reported spending just 18% of marketing
resources on current patients + primary care
– areas that influenced 91% of new patients
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, “The Average Return on “Marketing” Is Negative.” Bill Champion,June 2013

14. Is it time to evolve our consumer
advertising approach in the context of
payment reform?

15. Today’s healthcare marketing needs to support:
Taking care of
"covered lives"
via capitated
contracts
Incentive on
wellness
+
prevention
Streamlining
patient
satisfaction
data collection

16. D E V E L O P I N G A
Strategic framework

17. Micro-moments of patient trust

19. Micro-moment
of trust
Micro-moment
of distrust

22. U S E T E C H N O L O G Y T O
extend the patient-provider
relationship beyond the hospital

23. What has changed in healthcare to allow this to work?

24. Doing this now vs. 5 years ago:
Criteria 1
IS trying to
solve the same
challenges
Criteria 2
Most EHR providers have
an app themselves – how
does your companion
app tie into this?
Criteria 3
How would doctors use
this + how would it tie into
an application or protocol
that they’re already using?

25. Personal connection is
2x more important in healthcare
than in other industries
PWC “Healthcare Briefing Report,” 2015

26. Patients who trust their doctor are
4x more likely to take their prescribed
medication + engage in recommended
behaviors such as exercise
Thom et al., “Validation of a Measure of Patients’Trust.”
D.G. Safran et al., “Linking Primary Care Performance to Outcomes of Care,” Journal of Family Practice 47, no. 3 (1998): 213–220. Medline

27. 38% of patients wished they had more
information before choosing a doctor
Thom et al., “Validation of a Measure of Patients’Trust.”
D.G. Safran et al., “Linking Primary Care Performance to Outcomes of Care,” Journal of Family Practice 47, no. 3 (1998): 213–220. Medline

28. Patients are 8x more likely to leave a
provider when there’s a lack of trust
Thom et al., “Validation of a Measure of Patients’Trust.”
D.G. Safran et al., “Linking Primary Care Performance to Outcomes of Care,” Journal of Family Practice 47, no. 3 (1998): 213–220. Medline

29. Develop
proprietary
branded apps in-
house or vendor
Curate 3rd party
apps e.g. O-Bar
(Ochsner Health)
EHR API’s
Cerner,
Allscripts,
Athena, et al.
3effective options to implement companion apps in your health system

30. Patients + families
talk to:
Patient
Engagement
Patient
Satisfaction
Digital Patient
Experience
Transparency
Access
Staff talk to:
Marketing IT
Clinicians
Health IT
Vendors
Late digital adopters still try to address engagement from different silos

31. Examples

32. Vitamin D

34. Ounces

37. hellobaby

38. X
Baby Feeding
Age # feeds oz Total (oz)
1-2 weeks 6-10 2-3 12-30
3-4 weeks 6-8 3-4 18-32
1-2 months 5-6 4-5 20-30
2-3 months 5-6 5-6 25-36
3-4 months 4-5 6-7 24-35
4-7 months 4-5 7-8 28-40
7-9 months 3-4 7-8 21-32

39. In-building wayfinding

41. Lab report 2.0

43. Kindred: OR update communicator

44. >

45. >

46. >

47. >

48. >

49. >

50. “Download this app and call me in the morning.”

51. Network development tools for physician liaison specialists

52. Hi, Matthew Smith, MD.
3 new pediatric gastroenterologists have
recently joined Floating Hospital for Children
View now
1 min ago

53. Where do we go from here?

54. AWARENESS
• Recommendations by
friends, physician
• Social media engagement
• Online ratings/reviews
• Brand reputation
PRE-ARRIVAL
• Website information
• Scheduling
• Accessibility
• Customer service
SERVICE DELIVERY EXPERIENCE
• Customer service
• Quality of care
• Physician personality
SERVICE FOLLOW-UP
• Customer service
• Patient/family
education
• Billing
FEEDBACK
Social media
Online ratings/reviews
Delivery on brand
promise

55. Where to start?
What systems are your doctors using?
Design thinking
Hospital marketing department as Ideo
Build in the brand
Don’t slap marketing on at the last minute – build it into
the experience
How to gain consensus throughout organization?
Start with a pilot program

56. Micro-moments
of trust patient
journey map
+ worksheet

57. Jared Johnson
@jaredpiano
jjohnson18@phoenixchildrens.com
Shawn Gross
@shawngross
shawn@whiterhino.com
THANKYOU!