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Your complete guide to patient journey mapping.

15 min read Healthcare organizations can increase patient retention and improve patient satisfaction with patient journey mapping. Discover how to create a patient journey map and how you can use it to improve your organization’s bottom line.

What is the patient journey?

The patient journey is the sequence of events that begins when a patient first develops a need for care. Rather than focusing on service delivery, the patient journey encompasses all touchpoints of a patient’s healthcare experience–from locating healthcare providers and scheduling appointments, to paying the bill and continuing their care after treatment.

Examining the patient journey is essential to improving the patient experience. Not all interactions a patient has with your organization are weighted the same. Gathering patient feedback and understanding perceptions all along the patient journey can help you to identify moments of truth : the touchpoints that have the biggest impact on patient loyalty.

Download eBook: The 3 steps to driving human-centered healthcare experiences

The patient journey vs. the patient experience

Unlike traditional patient experience measurement, the patient journey looks not only at service delivery but also at the steps the patient takes before and after they engage directly with your organization. It recognizes that patient interactions with a healthcare system go well beyond the walls of the medical facility itself.

What are the stages of the patient journey?

There are several stages along the patient journey. When gathering patient feedback, you should make sure to capture insights at each of these stages.

Stage 1: Awareness

The patient journey starts with awareness. In this stage, the patient identifies a need for care and begins searching for care providers. Examples of how patients learn about healthcare providers include online searches, review sites, marketing campaigns, networking, and community involvement.

Stage 2: Consideration

In the consideration stage, the patient weighs their options to determine if your health system can meet their needs. Factors patients consider include referrals, coverage and benefits, recommendations, access, and ratings and reviews. Often in this stage, patients interact with your website or social media pages or contact you via phone or email during this stage.

Stage 3: Access

The access stage is where the patient decides to schedule services with your healthcare organization. Direct patient engagement with your organization increases during this stage. You’ll engage with patients in a variety of ways including phone calls, the patient portal, text messages, and emails as part of the scheduling and new patient acquisition process.

Stage 4: Service delivery

The service delivery stage relates to the clinical care provided to your patients. Encompassed in this stage are the clinical visit itself, check-in and check-out, admission and discharge, and billing. Traditional patient satisfaction measurement centers around this stage of the patient journey.

Stage 5: Ongoing care

The ongoing care stage of the patient journey involves patient engagement that occurs after the interactions directly related to service delivery. In addition to wellness and care management, this stage may address social determinants of health and population health.

What is a patient journey map?

The best way to utilize the patient journey to enhance patient experiences is by journey mapping. A patient journey map is a visual tool that illustrates the relationship a patient has with a healthcare organization over time.

Patient journey mapping helps stakeholders to assess the patient experience from multiple perspectives. Journey maps provide a way to visualize the internal and external factors affecting patient flow and the different paths patients must take in order to reach their care goals.

What are the benefits of patient journey mapping?

Patient journey mapping can help you to visualize all of the steps patients take throughout the entire process of seeking, receiving, and continuing care. Creating a patient journey map is useful to identify pain points and gaps in care. Mapping the patient journey makes it easier to develop solutions that make a more seamless experience within your healthcare system.

Patient journey mapping benefits include:

• Creating shared ownership of the patient experience
• Refining your patient listening strategy
• Aligning your organization with a common view of the patient experience
• Measuring gaps between the intended experience for your patients versus the actual experience
• Identifying and resolving common pain points for your patients

Four types of patient journey maps

When creating a patient journey map, there are four types to consider. Each type of map has an intended purpose. You might start your patient journey mapping with only one type and incorporate the others as your efforts progress.

Current state

A current state journey map tells the story of what patients do, think, and feel as they interact with your organization today. This type of patient journey map is ideally created using patient data and observational data.

The current state journey map is best for driving incremental improvements to enhance the patient experience.

Future state

A future state patient journey map tells the story of what you want your patients to do, think, and feel as they interact with your organization in the future. This type of map should capture the ideal journey you’d like to see for your patients.

The future state journey map is an effective tool to drive strategy, align teams, and communicate your visions for new services, processes, and experiences.

Day in the life

A day in the life patient journey map illustrates what your patients do, think, and feel today, within a specific area of focus. Patient personas are particularly useful when creating day in the life maps; these are discussed in greater detail below.

This type of patient journey map is intended to capture what your patients experience both inside and outside of the healthcare system. Day in the life maps are valuable to address unmet needs and determine how and when you can better engage your patients.

Service blueprint

A service blueprint is a simplified diagram of a current state or future state patient journey map. In the service blueprint, you add layers to illustrate the systems of people, processes, policies, and technologies surrounding each patient touchpoint.

For current state patient journey maps, the service blueprint can help to identify root causes of pain points. For future state, the service blueprint is helpful to visualize the systems or processes that can be put in place to support the intended patient experience.

How do you create a patient journey map?

Now that you know about the different types of patient journey maps and their roles in driving patient experience improvement, how do you get started on creating your own?

The most useful maps are those which can expound upon each touchpoint of the healthcare journey with operational data, such as patient demographics, as well as real patient insights and perspectives. Using a platform that can capture this data will aid significantly in your patient journey mapping process.

Patient journey mapping: getting started

Before you get started, it’s a good idea to engage individuals across all departments and include input from multiple stakeholders. Once you’re ready, follow these steps to begin creating an effective patient journey map.

Identify your target audience

What type of patient journey will you be mapping? There may be varying patient journeys within your organization; for instance, an oncology patient’s journey will look very different from that of an expectant mother. The journey of a patient with health insurance will differ from that of a patient without insurance. To map the patient journey, you’ll want to create robust patient profiles you can use to segment and track like-populations throughout the healthcare experience.

Establishing patient personas and segments

Not every patient will have the same healthcare goals. Creating patient personas based on behaviors and preferences is a good way to differentiate the needs and more clearly understand the perspectives of the unique populations you serve.

The ideal patient persona will include the following information.

• Demographic information such as age group, gender, or location
• Healthcare-specific goals, conditions, and treatments
• Healthcare-specific challenges/pain points
• Engagement patterns and expressed feedback
• How your services fit into their life
• Barriers to care

Specify a goal for the patient’s journey

The patient personas you create will all have unique goals within the care journey. The patient has a specific goal in mind when they initiate contact with your organization, whether it is treatment of symptoms, a diagnosis for chronic issues, or surgery.

Every interaction along the patient journey influences how successful the patient feels about achieving this goal. When mapping the patient journey, you’ll want to consider how the various touchpoints affect the patient’s ability to meet this goal.

Identify the patient’s steps to accomplish their target goal

This step is about how the patient views their care journey within your health system–not about the actual processes and systems your organization has in place. Effective patient journey mapping requires you to see how the patient navigates the journey through their point of view.

Omni-channel listening is a valuable strategy in this step of journey mapping. Listening to your patients across all the channels can provide a clearer picture of their perceptions and behaviors as they engage with your organization.

Some steps the patient takes may not even include your organization, but might still affect how they are interacting with you directly. For example, if a patient logs into their health insurance portal to check coverage for healthcare services, they are not engaging with your organization but this is still a part of their care journey that may feed into their interactions with your organization later on.

Uncover perceptions along the journey

Gather patient feedback along the touchpoints of the care journey to identify key emotional moments that may disproportionately shape attitudes. These insights shed light on what’s working and what’s not; they can also be used to highlight the moments of truth that contribute to patient loyalty.

Patient perceptions are an important piece of patient journey mapping; it will be difficult to drive action without them.

Additional tips for creating the ideal patient journey map

Patient journey mapping is a continuous process. Creating the map is the first step, but the true value is dependent upon maintaining the map as you continue to gather insights and refine processes.

This leads to the second tip: be ready to take action! You can use a patient journey map to draw conclusions about your patients’ experiences within your organization, but awareness alone will yield no benefits. The journey map is a valuable tool to be used in your wider improvement efforts.

How do you drive action using a patient journey map?

Once your patient journey mapping is complete, it’s time to put it to good use. Here are five ways patient journey maps can be used to drive action.

Identify and fix problems

The visual layout of a journey map makes it ideal to identify gaps and potential pain points in your patient journeys. This will give you a better understanding of what’s working and what’s not. It will also help you to visualize where and how improvements can be made.

Build a patient mindset

Patient journey mapping enables you to incorporate more patient-centric thinking into your processes and systems. Use your map to challenge internal ideas of what patients want or need. Invite stakeholders to navigate the touchpoints along the healthcare journey to gain perspective.

Uncover unmet patient needs

By mapping the patient journey, you can build stronger patient relationships by listening across all channels to determine where experiences are falling short or where unmet needs emerge. This enables you to look for opportunities to expand alternatives, streamline initiatives, and create new, engaging ways for your patients to share feedback.

Create strategic alignment

Utilize your patient journey map to prioritize projects or improvement efforts. It can also help you to better engage interdepartmental staff to better understand policies and work together toward patient experience goals.

Refine measurement

Patient journey mapping is a great resource to use when defining patient satisfaction metrics and identifying gaps in how you currently gather insights.

How does patient journey mapping increase your bottom line?

Patient journey mapping can increase your bottom line by laying the foundation for improved patient satisfaction and higher retention.

Organizations across all industries are looking to understand customer journeys in order to attract and retain customers by gaining deeper insights into what drives the consumer experience.

As healthcare becomes more consumer-driven, health systems must similarly map the patient journey to improve the patient experience and boost retention. The cost of patient acquisition, combined with the fact that patients are willing to shop around for the best healthcare experience, means success depends on creating the most seamless patient journey possible.

The tools for success

For the most impactful patient journey mapping experience, you’ll want the ability to link your operational and experience data to your journey map’s touchpoints. Insights about what has happened at each touchpoint, as well as why it is happening, empower you to create experiences that meet patient expectations and drive up satisfaction.

Here are some best practice considerations as you develop your patient journey mapping strategy:

• Create a shared understanding throughout your health system of how your patients interact with your organization, and you’ll know the roles and responsibilities of your different teams
• Design a unique patient journey based on multichannel, real-time feedback from the patient
• Consider the frequency with which topics emerge in feedback, as well as the emotional intensity behind them to zero in on what improvements can drive the greatest impact
• Develop empathy and collaboration between teams, working together to achieve the same outcome
• Drive a patient-centric culture by developing a shared sense of ownership of the patient experience
• Connect your operational patient data with your patient experience feedback in one system
• Leverage a closed-loop feedback system that triggers actions for immediate responses to patient concerns

Qualtrics’ XM Platform™ is designed to support all of these actions throughout the journey mapping process.

The 3 steps to driving human-centered healthcare experiences

Related resources

Patient feedback 15 min read, healthcare branding 13 min read, patient journey 10 min read, patient experience 12 min read, symptoms survey 10 min read, nurse satisfaction survey 11 min read, cahps surveys 6 min read, request demo.

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Patient journey mapping: what it is, its benefits, and how to do it

We've all been patients at some point, but our journeys were not the same. Patient journey mapping holds the key to unraveling this mystery, providing a strategic lens into the diverse pathways individuals tread throughout their healthcare experiences.

In this article, we'll explore the pivotal role of patient journey mapping in the healthcare industry, uncovering its profound benefits for both providers and patients. From amplifying patient satisfaction to streamlining operational processes, the impact is transformative.

But how does one embark on this journey of understanding and improvement? We'll guide you through the essential steps and considerations, offering insights into the art of crafting a meaningful healthcare patient journey map.

Join us as we peel back the layers of patient experience journey mapping. This powerful tool not only illuminates the complexities of healthcare but also empowers providers to reshape and enhance the patient experience.

• 1.1 Difference from other customer journeys
• 2 Patient journey mapping benefits
• 3 Patient journey stages
• 4.1 Clinical journey maps
• 4.2 Service delivery maps
• 4.3 Digital journey maps
• 4.4 Chronic disease management maps
• 4.5 Emergency care journey maps
• 4.6 Pediatric patient journey maps
• 4.7 Palliative care maps
• 5 How to do patient journey mapping?
• 6.1 Patient-centered care
• 6.2 Streamlined access to care
• 6.3 Effective communication
• 6.4 Education and empowerment
• 6.5 Care coordination
• 6.6 Technology integration
• 6.7 Feedback and continuous improvement
• 6.8 Cultural competency
• 6.9 Emotional support
• 6.10 Efficient billing and financial assistance
• 7 Templates
• 8 Wrapping up 

What is a patient journey?

A patient journey is the entire process a person goes through when seeking and receiving a healthcare service. It covers everything from first noticing symptoms or realizing the need for care and medical attention to finally resolving the health issue. The journey involves patient interactions with healthcare professionals, diagnostic procedures, treatment activities, and follow-up care.

Mapping and understanding the patient journey can help boost the quality of hospital care and improve patient satisfaction. By pinpointing challenges, patient communication gaps, and areas for enhancement, care providers can refine their services to better cater to patients' needs. It also contributes to promoting patient-centered care, shifting the focus beyond just treating diseases to considering the overall well-being and experience of the patient.

Difference from other customer journeys

While the concept of patient journey mapping is similar to customer journey mapping , there are unique aspects specific to the healthcare domain. This is how a patient journey differs from any other customer journey:

• Emotional intensity. Health-related experiences often involve heightened emotions, including fear, anxiety, uncertainty, a sense of losing control, and a dependence on others. The emotional aspect is more pronounced in patient journeys compared to customer journeys in most industries.
• Complexity and uncertainty. Healthcare journeys often involve multiple stakeholders, various diagnostic and treatment options, and inherent uncertainties. Navigating these complexities requires a different approach compared to more straightforward consumer experiences. Comparing buying eyeglasses online and visiting a doctor — both are experiences, but how different they are!
• Regulatory and ethical considerations. Healthcare is heavily regulated, and ethical considerations play a significant role there. Patient journeys must align with regulatory standards and ethical principles that other industries don’t have.

• Clinical decision points. Patient journeys involve critical clinical decision points, such as diagnosis and treatment choices. These decisions not only impact the patient's health but also influence the overall trajectory of the journey.
• Care continuum. Patient journeys often extend beyond a single episode of care. They may involve long-term management, follow-up appointments, and ongoing support, creating a continuous care continuum.
• Interdisciplinary collaboration. Healthcare is often delivered by a team of professionals from different disciplines. The patient journey may involve collaboration among physicians, nurses, specialists, and other healthcare providers.

Patient journey mapping benefits

Mapping a patient journey offers a range of benefits that contribute to improving the overall quality of healthcare delivery. Here are some key advantages:

• Visualization of the entire patient journey helps healthcare providers identify critical patient journey touchpoints that impact patient satisfaction and experience and require immediate attention. By paying more attention to these touchpoints, you ensure a more positive overall journey.
• Gaps in care and challenges are highlighted among healthcare professionals. Addressing these issues ensures a more seamless and collaborative approach to patient care.
• Pain points and barriers become evident, enabling healthcare providers to proactively address issues that may hinder effective care delivery.
• Understanding individual patient journeys allows for more personalized ongoing care plans. Tailoring interventions to specific needs and preferences improves patient engagement and outcomes.
• By mapping a patient journey, you can identify resource-intensive stages and areas where efficiency can be improved, enabling a healthcare organization to allocate resources more effectively.
• It's a great way to identify opportunities for smoother transitions between different stages of care, ensuring continuity and preventing gaps in treatment.
• It becomes clear where patient involvement in the decision-making process can contribute to their healthcare journey.

Example: Tom, recovering from surgery, feels more empowered as his healthcare team provides clear post-operative care instructions, making him an active participant in his recovery.

In summary, patient journey mapping provides a comprehensive framework for healthcare improvement, addressing specific challenges at each stage and leading to tangible enhancements in patient experience, communication, and overall care delivery.

Patient journey stages

Patient journeys can differ, and if we take a broad perspective, some key stages would include:

Awareness 

This stage involves the patient recognizing symptoms and becoming aware of a potential health issue.

• Key considerations: Pay attention to how patients identify and interpret their symptoms, as well as the information sources they consult.

Example: John notices persistent joint pain and, through online research, suspects it might be arthritis. His journey begins with a heightened awareness of his symptoms.

Seeking information

Patients actively look for information to understand their symptoms, potential causes, and the importance of consulting a healthcare professional.

• Key considerations: Review the information sources patients use and how well they understand the need for professional medical advice.
• Example: Emily researches her persistent cough online, learning about various respiratory conditions and recognizing the importance of seeing a doctor for an accurate diagnosis.

First contact

This marks the initial interaction with the healthcare system, typically through scheduling an appointment with a primary care physician.

• Key considerations: Assess the ease of access to healthcare services and the patient's initial experience with medical professionals.
• Example: Alex schedules an appointment with his family doctor to discuss recent changes in his vision, initiating his journey within the healthcare system.

Diagnostic process

Patients undergo diagnostic tests to identify the root cause of their symptoms.

• Key considerations: Examine the efficiency of the diagnostic process and the clarity of communication about the tests.
• Example: Maria undergoes blood tests and imaging to determine the cause of her abdominal pain, marking the diagnostic phase of her journey.

Treatment planning

Patients receive a diagnosis, and healthcare providers collaborate on creating a personalized treatment plan.

• Key considerations: Evaluate how well the diagnosis is communicated and involve patients in treatment decisions.
• Example: Emily receives a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. Her healthcare team takes the time to explain the condition, discusses various treatment options, and actively involves her in deciding on a comprehensive plan that combines medication, physical therapy, and lifestyle adjustments.

Treatment and clinical care service

Patients initiate the recommended treatment plan, experiencing the day-to-day challenges and improvements associated with their patient journey in a hospital.

• Key considerations: Monitor treatment adherence, side effects, and the patient's overall experience during this active phase.
• Example: Sarah starts chemotherapy for her cancer, navigating the treatment process with the support of her healthcare team.

Psychological support

Patients deal with the emotional toll of managing a health condition, including anxiety, frustration, or isolation.

• Key considerations: Acknowledge and address the emotional aspects of the journey, providing resources for mental health support.
• Example: James copes with the emotional challenges of managing chronic pain, seeking counseling to navigate the psychological impact.

Regular checkups

Patients undergo routine checkups to monitor their health status and adjust treatment plans as needed.

• Key considerations: Ensure consistent communication and scheduling of regular checkups to track progress and address any emerging issues.
• Example: Sarah, diagnosed with hypertension, attends regular checkups where the healthcare team monitors blood pressure, discusses lifestyle adjustments, and ensures medication efficacy. The routine checkups create a proactive approach to managing her condition.

Patients provide feedback on their experiences, allowing healthcare providers to refine and tailor their care.

• Key considerations: Establish mechanisms for patients to share feedback easily and transparently, encouraging an open dialogue.
• Example: John shares his experiences with a new treatment plan, providing feedback on its effectiveness, side effects, and overall impact on his daily life. This feedback loop allows the healthcare team to make timely adjustments and improve the patient's journey.

The stages may vary based on diverse scenarios and individual health circumstances. For instance, when a patient undergoes surgery or faces an acute medical event, the trajectory of their journey can diverge significantly from a more routine healthcare experience. 

Factors such as the need for emergency care, hospitalization, and specialized interventions can introduce unique stages and considerations. Additionally, variations may arise due to the specific nature of medical conditions, treatments, and the individual preferences and needs of patients. 

Recognizing this variability is crucial for comprehensive journey mapping, allowing for a more nuanced understanding of the patient experience across different healthcare contexts.

Types of healthcare journey maps

Healthcare journey maps can take various forms depending on their focus, purpose, and the specific aspects of the patient experience they aim to understand. 

Here are a few types of healthcare journey maps:

Clinical journey maps

Focus: Emphasize the clinical aspects of a patient's experience, including diagnosis, treatment, and recovery.

Purpose: Help healthcare providers understand the medical processes and interventions involved in the patient's journey.

Example: A clinical journey map for a cancer patient would detail the steps from initial symptoms to diagnosis, treatment modalities, and post-treatment care.

Service delivery maps

Focus: Highlight the various touchpoints and services a patient encounters throughout their healthcare journey. Then, detail the back and front processes your team does or has to do during each stage. 

Purpose: Enable healthcare organizations to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery.

Example: Mapping the service delivery for a patient undergoing surgery, including preoperative consultations, surgical procedures, and post-operative care.

Digital journey maps

Focus: Examine the patient's interaction with digital tools and technologies, such as online portals, mobile apps, and telehealth platforms.

Purpose: Help improve the digital aspects of patient engagement and communication.

Example: Mapping the patient's journey when using a telehealth platform for virtual consultations, prescription refills, and accessing medical records.

Chronic disease management maps

Focus: Explore the long-term journey of patients managing chronic conditions.

Purpose: Aid in understanding the challenges and opportunities for supporting patients in their ongoing self-management.

Example: A journey map for a diabetes patient would encompass regular monitoring, medication management, lifestyle adjustments, and periodic checkups.

Emergency care journey maps

Focus: Examine the patient’s experience during emergencies, from the onset of symptoms to emergency room admission and follow-up care.

Purpose: Help optimize response times, communication, and the overall emergency care process.

Example: Mapping the journey of a patient experiencing chest pain, from the initial call to emergency services to the triage process and subsequent cardiac care.

Pediatric patient journey maps

Focus: Tailored specifically for the unique needs and considerations of pediatric patients and their families.

Purpose: Address the emotional and practical aspects of pediatric healthcare experiences.

Example: Such a map is good for a child undergoing surgery to consider the role of parents, age-appropriate communication, and post-operative care.

Palliative care maps

Focus: Center on the patient's journey when facing serious illness, with a focus on providing comfort and support.

Purpose: Enhance the quality of life for patients and their families during end-of-life care.

Example: This kind of journey map suits a patient receiving palliative care when considering symptom management, emotional support, and coordination of services.

The mentioned types of maps cover different patient scenarios and clinical cases. There can also be "AS-IS" and "TO-BE" maps, reflecting the current state of the journey and the desired one, respectively.

All these types of healthcare journey maps offer a nuanced understanding of the diverse aspects of patient experiences, allowing healthcare providers and organizations to tailor their services to meet the unique needs of different patient populations.

How to do patient journey mapping?

Mapping a patient's journey is a thorough process that needs careful planning, teamwork, and analysis. Here's a guide on how to do it:

• Define the objectives

Clearly articulate the goals of the patient journey mapping exercise. Determine what aspects of the patient experience you want to understand and improve. All involved parties should be aware of these goals and agree with them.

• Assemble a cross-functional team

Form a team that includes representatives from various departments, including healthcare providers, administrative staff, patient advocates, and anyone involved in the patient experience.

• Do research

Conduct thorough research to gather quantitative and qualitative data related to the patient experience. This may involve analyzing patient records, studying existing feedback, diving into analytics and market research, and reviewing relevant literature on best practices in healthcare.

• Select a patient segment

Identify a specific patient segment or persona to focus on. This could be based on demographics, health conditions, or specific healthcare services. 

Tip: You can leverage your segments or patient personas to craft an empathy map , which is particularly valuable in healthcare.

• Conduct stakeholder interviews

Interview stakeholders, including healthcare professionals and administrative staff. Gather insights into their perspectives on the patient journey, pain points, and opportunities for improvement.

• Define the stages

Outline the patient journey by mapping out each stage and interaction with the healthcare system. This can include pre-visit, during a visit, and post-visit experiences.

Tip: To speed up the process, run a journey mapping workshop with your team. It will help with the next step, too. 

• Create the patient journey map

Develop a visual representation of the patient journey. This can be a timeline or infographic that illustrates each stage, touchpoint, and the emotional experience of the patient.

• Identify pain points and opportunities

Analyze the collected data to pinpoint pain points, areas of friction, and opportunities for improvement. Consider emotional, logistical, and clinical aspects of the patient experience.

• Review and validate

Consider collaborative journey mapping . Share the draft patient journey map with stakeholders, including frontline staff and patients, to validate its accuracy. Incorporate feedback to ensure a comprehensive and realistic representation.

• Develop actionable plans

Generate specific, actionable plans based on the identified pain points and opportunities. Each initiative should be feasible, considering resources and organizational constraints.

• Prioritize and implement changes

Prioritize the recommendations based on impact and feasibility. Begin implementing changes that address the identified issues, whether they involve process improvements, staff training, or technology enhancements.

• Monitor and iterate

Continuously monitor the impact of implemented changes. Gather feedback from both staff and patients to understand the effectiveness of the improvements. Iterate on the patient journey map and make recommendations as needed.

• Measure your success 

You can also establish KPIs to measure the success of any improvements made based on the patient journey mapping insights. These could include patient satisfaction scores, reduced wait times, or improved communication metrics.

•  Document insights (optional)

And keep a record of the lessons learned during the patient journey mapping process. This documentation can inform future initiatives and contribute to ongoing efforts to enhance the patient experience.

• Promote a culture of continuous improvement

Foster a culture within the organization that values continuous improvement in patient care. Encourage ongoing feedback and regularly revisit your journey map to ensure its relevance over time.

By following these steps, healthcare organizations can gain valuable insights into the patient experience, leading to targeted improvements that enhance healthcare quality and patient satisfaction.

How to improve the patient journey?

Striving for a seamless patient journey involves enhancing the overall experience that individuals have when seeking and receiving healthcare services. Here are some strategies to consider:

Patient-centered care

• Prioritize patient needs and preferences.
• Emphasize education and empower patients to actively participate in their healthcare journey.
• Foster open communication and active listening.

Streamlined access to care

• Reduce wait times for appointments and procedures.
• Implement online scheduling and appointment reminders.
• Provide options for virtual consultations when appropriate.

Effective communication

• Ensure clear and understandable communication with patients.
• Provide information about treatment plans, medications, and follow-up care.
• Confirm that patients are well-informed about the potential risks and benefits of treatment options.

Education and empowerment

• Offer educational resources to help patients understand their conditions and treatment options.
• Encourage patients to actively participate in their health management.
• Provide tools for self-monitoring and self-management when possible.

Care coordination

• Improve collaboration and communication among healthcare providers to strengthen care coordination, ensuring a more cohesive and seamless experience for patients throughout their healthcare journey.
• Define and implement standardized protocols for communication and handovers between care teams, reducing the risk of errors and ensuring continuity of care.
• Implement remote monitoring technologies to track patients' health remotely, enabling timely interventions and reducing the need for frequent in-person visits.

Technology integration

• Adopt electronic health records (EHRs) for efficient information sharing.
• Use telemedicine to enhance accessibility and convenience.
• Implement mobile health apps for appointment reminders, medication management, and health tracking.

Feedback and continuous improvement

• Conduct regular surveys to gather specific insights into patient satisfaction, allowing for a more nuanced understanding of their experiences.
• Establish easily accessible channels for patients to provide real-time feedback, ensuring that their voices are heard promptly.
• Respond promptly to patient feedback, address concerns, and communicate any changes or resolutions, fostering a sense of responsiveness and accountability.

Cultural competency

• Train healthcare staff to be culturally competent and sensitive to diverse patient needs.
• Promote diversity in healthcare staff to reflect the communities served, fostering a more inclusive and culturally sensitive environment.
• Recognize and celebrate cultural awareness events within the healthcare setting, fostering an inclusive atmosphere that appreciates the richness of diverse traditions.

Emotional support

• Address the emotional and psychological aspects of healthcare.
• Provide resources for mental health and emotional well-being.
• Consider support groups or counseling services.

Efficient billing and financial assistance

• Simplify billing processes and provide clear information about costs.
• Offer financial assistance programs for patients in need.
• Communicate transparently about insurance coverage and out-of-pocket expenses.

Staff training:

• Train healthcare staff in patient-centered communication and empathy.
• Ensure staff is knowledgeable about the resources available to patients.
• Foster a culture of empathy and compassion in the healthcare environment.

By focusing on these aspects, healthcare providers can contribute to a more positive and effective patient journey. Regularly reassessing and adapting strategies based on feedback and evolving healthcare trends is crucial for ongoing improvement.

UXPressia already has some healthcare journey map examples: 

• Surgical patient journey

This map focuses on the healthcare journey of a patient persona, Robin, from the moment when the patient understands that something is wrong to the recovery period. This journey is long and very detailed.

• Non-surgical patient journey

This map visualizes the journey of a patient, Lotta, who decides to undergo a checkup at a hospital. She schedules a visit, gets a consultation, takes some tests, and starts taking some medicine prescribed by her doctor.

More healthcare and well-being templates are available in our library.

Wrapping up 

In wrapping up, think of patient journey mapping as a powerful tool reshaping the healthcare landscape, with the patient's experience taking center stage. It's like creating a roadmap that intricately traces every step of a patient's interaction within the healthcare system. 

This deliberate mapping isn't just a plan; it's a compass guiding healthcare organizations toward key points where they can enhance patient satisfaction, simplify access to care, and cultivate a more compassionate and patient-focused healthcare environment. Investing in patient journey mapping is more than a strategy—it's a dedication to raising the bar in care quality, amplifying the patient's voice, and ensuring that every leg of the healthcare journey is characterized by empathy, understanding, and an unwavering pursuit of excellence in patient experience.

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Patient Journey Mapping: What it is, Benefits and 5 Steps to Do it

In the rapidly evolving landscape of healthcare, patient-centered care has emerged as a crucial paradigm shift. As hospitals strive to deliver exceptional patient experiences and improve outcomes, understanding the patient journey has become paramount. 

A customer journey map is a powerful tool that shares patients’ path from their first encounter with a healthcare facility to their final discharge. By visualizing this complex expedition, hospitals can gain invaluable insights into patient needs, pain points, and opportunities for enhancement, thereby revolutionizing the delivery of care. 

The following article delves into the significance of patient journey maps for hospitals and their importance in optimizing patient experiences, streamlining processes, and ultimately elevating the standard of healthcare.

What is a Patient Journey Map?

A patient journey is a methodology that enables the analysis of a healthcare provider’s processes and value chain but from the patient’s viewpoint. This includes their possible solutions, pain points, emotions, touchpoints and user actions throughout the journey.

The patient journey map employs visual representation to gain deeper insights into how patients engage with a healthcare facility throughout their care journey. This unique approach is an evolution of the customer journey map , tailored specifically to the healthcare context. By employing this method, healthcare providers can unravel the intricacies of patient interactions, uncovering valuable information to enhance the quality of care provided.

The concept of the Patient Journey Map mirrors that of the Customer Journey Map, seeking to uncover areas of enhancement in patient care across various healthcare providers, including hospitals, fertility centers, and more.

Just as a skilled cartographer carefully crafts a map to navigate uncharted territories, patient journey maps chart the course of a patient’s experience, revealing hidden insights, unveiling opportunities for improvement, and ultimately guiding healthcare providers toward a destination of unparalleled patient satisfaction . 

What are the benefits of implementing a Patient Journey Map?

Engaging in the patient journey proves immensely valuable as it enables us to provide patients with an optimal experience, meeting the very expectations that arise when seeking healthcare services. 

The emotional aspect tied to the Patient Journey Map can be profoundly impactful, considering the inherent uncertainties often associated with visiting a healthcare facility.

Considering the unique personalities, fears, behaviors, and attitudes of different patient archetypes play a pivotal role in creating a tailored and pleasant experience for them. Thus, the patient journey map becomes a valuable tool benefiting both patients and healthcare service providers.

● Enhanced Communication with Patients:

By understanding the patient journey, healthcare providers can establish effective and continuous communication throughout the entire care process, addressing any doubts or uncertainties. Keeping patients well-informed and updated through appropriate channels reinforces the quality of care provided.

● Elimination of Blind Spots:

Clear comprehension of each stage of the patient journey helps bridge the gaps between patients and services. From the initial appointment request to discharge and follow-up, identifying and addressing potential blind spots ensures consistent and satisfactory solutions tailored to each patient’s unique situation.

● Streamlined Resolution of Pain Points:

Mapping the patient journey and defining archetypes enables a deeper understanding of patient concerns, particularly identifying which aspects of the service have the most negative impact. Pain points such as waiting times, unclear explanations, lack of empathy, or impersonalized treatments can be simplified and resolved more effectively.

Learn About: Complaint Resolution

● Process Optimization:

A well-defined patient journey optimizes workflow and allows for more efficient handling of all processes. Staff members become better equipped to anticipate and address patient issues promptly, offering alternatives that instill confidence and satisfaction.

● Continuous Improvement:

Implementing a Patient Experience model involves measuring patient experiences through a feedback system . Continuously updating the database with relevant information about patient journeys and their experiences leads to ongoing improvement in response times, customer service processes, and overall service quality .

What is a Patient Persona?

The patient persona represents an imaginary profile that encapsulates potential patients’ needs, goals, illnesses, conditions, emotions, behaviors, and knowledge. 

By creating patient personas, healthcare providers can enhance the accuracy and anticipation of care and diagnosis processes, ultimately improving the experience of individuals seeking healthcare services.

5 Steps to Build Your Own Patient Journey Map

1. define the experience to map:.

Before diving into the Patient Journey Map, it is crucial to determine the specific experience you intend to outline. By establishing your objectives and identifying the type of information you seek to gather and how it will be utilized, you can ensure a more efficient mapping process right from the start.

2. Identify your Ideal Patient:

The majority of data used to construct the customer patient care journey will come directly from patient-clients. Thus, a key step is identifying the patient persona, which can be singular or multiple. You must decide whether the map will encompass various patient profiles or if separate maps will be created for each target patient.

To create the patient persona(s), gather feedback directly from patients and analyze their behaviors and data. Pose questions such as:

• What initially led the patient to seek your services?
• Which competitors did they research?
• How did they discover your website or company?
• What factors differentiated your brand from others? What influenced their decision (or lack thereof) to choose your services?
• What are their expectations when interacting with your company?
• Can they articulate what they appreciate about your company and what frustrates them?
• Have they ever contacted customer service? If so, how was their experience?

Once you have defined the patient persona(s), you can identify the distinct stages of the customer journey when engaging with your company.

3. Divide the Phases of the Customer Journey:

Throughout the customer-patient care journey, patient-clients progress through several discernible stages.

Phase #1: Pre-Visit

● DISCOVERY:

The patient journey initiates with a phase characterized by learning and concern. Patients embark on their healthcare journey upon recognizing a need or developing a concern related to a health issue.

For instance, if an individual experiences symptoms associated with being overweight, they may begin researching options for scheduling an appointment with a medical specialist. At this point, potential patients discover their specific needs and commence the process of investigating suitable solutions. They may turn to the internet, seek recommendations from friends and family, or explore other avenues. During this stage, it is recommended healthcare systems should provide educational support to aid individuals on their journey of understanding.

● CONSIDERATION:

Following their research, patients reach the consideration stage, having discovered your service. At this point, they possess some knowledge about your healthcare facility’s location and offerings, leading them to believe it could meet their needs. However, patients have also explored your competitors and are contemplating multiple options.

During the consideration stage, potential patients meticulously assess the information they come across, including service descriptions, pricing, contact pages, online inquiries, and reviews. They also evaluate the ease of accessing relevant information before scheduling an appointment and the availability of operating hours, among other factors.

Phase #3: Visit

● APPOINTMENT & ENGAGEMENT:

Having gathered sufficient information and progressed through the consideration phase, the patient ultimately chooses your service. This marks their first contact with the health center, which can occur in person, over the phone, via chat, email, or other means of communication.

During this stage, the patient schedules their appointment. The company must streamline the application process and maintain effective and proactive communication. It is crucial for this phase to be completed without complications.

● SERVICE DELIVERY:

Within the visit phase is the service delivery stage, where patients interact with various service providers at the health center. From the moment the patient enters the premises, the company must ensure an exceptional service experience.

Service delivery encompasses multiple micro-moments, necessitating comprehensive attention throughout the entire journey. Every interaction matters, from the reception care and waiting times to the core service itself—meeting the patient’s objective of being evaluated by a doctor or specialist.

Phase #3: After the Visit

● RETENTION:

The Patient journey doesn’t conclude after the initial visit. A crucial third phase occurs post-encounter, where efforts should be dedicated to fostering patient retention and encouraging their return for subsequent visits. Building strategies that monitor the patient experience is essential in designing loyalty programs to ensure patients return for future services.

● RECOMMENDATION:

Part of the post-visit phase involves patient recommendations, which heavily depend on the overall patient journey experience provided by the company. If patients have had a positive service encounter, they are likely to recommend it to others, benefiting your business. 

However, it is important to remember that negative experiences are equally shared, and if patients are dissatisfied, they may spread negative feedback. 

Promptly addressing any negative comments is crucial to resolving issues and preventing unfavorable recommendations.

Phase #4: Identify Touchpoints

An additional vital step in mapping the customer-patient care journey is identifying the various touchpoints between the patient and the healthcare facility. These interactions occur at different stages throughout the patient journey, and understanding these touchpoints aids in developing strategies that facilitate effective communication.

• Seeking information about healthcare centers: discovering the existence of the healthcare provider and the services it offers.

Investigation:

• Reviewing patient-client feedback: researching comments and feedback from other patients about their visit experiences at the health center.
• Exploring promotions: searching for economic benefits such as discounts, promotions, and bundled service packages.

Acquisition :

• Appointment Request: Contact or visit the health center to schedule an appointment.
• Provision of Personal Data: The health center will request personal information to finalize the appointment booking.
• Appointment Confirmation: After providing the required data, the appointment for the agreed date and time is confirmed.
• Patient Reception: The patient arrives at the health center at their scheduled appointment time.
• Waiting Room: The staff guides the patient to the designated waiting area.
• Consultation: The patient’s turn to be attended by the specialist.
• Payment: The process of settling the payment for the service, which may occur at any point during the service phase, depending on the health center’s policies.
• Patient Recommendations: Patients offer positive or negative feedback about the health center and its services.
• Loyalty Program: Incentives such as offers, promotions, discounts, or a points system to encourage future visits.

Recommendation:

• Complaint: If the patient has had a negative experience, they may file a complaint with the health center.
• Online Reviews: Patients share comments or criticisms about the service by posting reviews on the internet.

4. Identify Contact Channels

Patients engage with the health center through various channels throughout the patient journey. These channels, such as the health center itself, can be physical or online, including social media, email, applications, websites, and online forms.

Identifying the most utilized contact channels at each stage of the customer-patient care journey is crucial. This allows for the development of tailored strategies for each channel, meeting patient expectations at each phase.

Working on the patient journey is crucial for healthcare providers to deliver a high-quality experience to patients. By mapping their interactions, providers gain a deeper understanding of their patient personas, allowing them better to comprehend patient needs, desires, and circumstances to provide the desired care.

You can explore Patient Experience Software to measure your patient journey. QuestionPro published a blog about it very recently!

Patient Journey Map Example 

To better understand what a Patient Journey Map is, we have created this fictitious example using one of the most reputable medical institutions in the healthcare sector, the Massachusetts General Hospital, as a reference.

In this example, we have included some generic touchpoints that are usually the most common in the interaction between a hospital and a patient.

Through this example, it would be possible to visualize the points of interaction between both parties and the perception that patients have of them, which can be positive or negative. This serves as a clear indicator for making adjustments and learning from what has been done well.

The Office of Patient Experience plays a vital role in facilitating initiatives to assess and enhance the quality of care experienced by patients and their families. They are responsible for evaluating each of these touchpoints and ensuring that appropriate actions are taken.

The Mass General Hospital is a benchmark not only in terms of service level but also in the implementation of methodologies and actions that guarantee the satisfaction of their patients. A clear example of this can be seen in the results of their annual HCAHPS survey, where they score above the national average in various aspects.

Willingness to Recommend Hospital Scores below show the percentage of patients who would “definitely recommend” Mass General to their friends and family.

To see the complete study, we invite you to visit their website and learn about it.

More Examples of Patient Journey Maps

Seeking inspiration to craft your own Patient Journey Map? Your search ends here!

Explore a collection of remarkable examples from top-notch brands, unveiling their initiatives that delight customers and foster loyalty.

Get set to revolutionize your own Patient Journey!

Mass General Hospital is renowned for providing exceptional care and taking special care in understanding the perspective of its patients. They achieve this through different tools, such as satisfaction surveys, internal and external feedback, and  HCAHPS surveys .

Mayo Clinic is characterized by its focus on patient satisfaction and its extensive technical deployment to gather user and prospect feedback.

Cleveland Clinic is often ranked among the best hospitals in the United States. This recognition is not only due to its incredible facilities, global expansion, and well-prepared staff but also because of its remarkable focus on the experience they provide to its patients and clients.

Singapore General Hospital is one of the largest and oldest hospitals in Singapore. It has been a major healthcare institution providing a wide range of medical services and treatments since 1821.

Johns Hopkins Medicine has long recognized the significance of a positive patient and family experience during hospitalization, which is why they maintain a specific focus on  patient satisfaction  to achieve an optimal experience.

How can you enhance your Patient Journey Map based on your acquired knowledge?

The insights and recommendations shared above are likely to have sparked ideas about the potential impact of these initiatives across various industries, not just healthcare.

The first crucial step is to embrace a customer-centric approach, keeping their needs and expectations at the forefront. By doing so, the actions you take will have a meaningful impact on your customers and yield multiple benefits for your business.

At QuestionPro, we offer a range of tools and features specifically designed to help you achieve this objective.

QuestionPro SuiteCX is a Customer Journey Mapping Software that simplifies the process of creating your customer journey. 

With a vast selection of templates and the ability to personalize user/buyer personas while incorporating your own data, you can conduct precise visual analyses at every touchpoint throughout your patient journey.

Start delighting your customers today!

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The 1-2-3 Guide to Patient Journey Mapping [Template Inside]

by Gaine Technology | Feb 28, 2024 | Healthcare , Life Sciences , Master Data Management

Patient journeys in today’s healthcare landscape are complex, spanning a number of platforms, systems, touchpoints, and interactions. As patients engage with healthcare providers through diverse channels, both digital and physical, the need for a structured and comprehensive approach to managing the patient journeys is evident. Patient journey mapping is the solution.

Patient journey mapping creates a high-level and holistic view of the patient journey that empowers healthcare providers to make the most informed and impactful decisions possible about how to enhance operations and care.

In this guide, we’ll walk step-by-step through the process of creating and implementing a patient journey map that drives better performance results and patient outcomes for your healthcare organization.

Key Takeaways:

• Patient journey mapping is crucial for understanding and enhancing the patient experience.
• Patient journey mapping leads to improved patient satisfaction, better clinical outcomes, and increased operational efficiency.
• Developing a patient journey map requires clear objectives, a cross-functional team, and data-driven approaches to gaining insight.
• Improvement strategies should be developed for each critical moment and touchpoint, with changes implemented and continuously monitored for effectiveness over time.

What is Patient Journey Mapping and Why Is It Important?

Patient journey mapping is the process of creating a detailed visualization of a patient’s healthcare journey, from initial contact through treatment and follow-up care, identifying every touchpoint along the way. This methodical approach helps healthcare providers see the care process from the patient perspective, including the highs, lows, and gaps in the patient experience.

The example below is from the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, and shows how intricate and complex the patient journey is once it’s mapped completely. This drives home the importance of documenting the journey visually in order to see it in a holistic way.

Image Source

When done effectively, patient journey mapping is a valuable tool driving more seamless, integrated, and patient-centered care. Journey mapping also helps healthcare organizations make informed decisions about where to allocate resources, how to streamline operations, and ways to personalize care to meet the unique needs of each patient.

In the end, the benefits of patient journey mapping are threefold:

• Improved Patient Satisfaction : Enhances the overall patient experience by addressing specific needs and preferences, leading to higher satisfaction rates.
• Better Clinical Outcomes : Identifies opportunities for early intervention and personalized care plans, contributing to improved health results.
• Increased Operational Efficiency : Streamlines healthcare processes by pinpointing inefficiencies and redundancies, leading to more effective use of resources.

It leads to 360-degree improvements that enhance clinical, administrative, and operational aspects of both the healthcare system and the patient experience. In the next section, we’ll walk through the steps you can take to develop a patient journey map for your organization.

Your Step-by-Step Patient Journey Mapping Template

1. identify the goals and scope of your map.

Begin by d eve loping a clear vision of what you aim to achieve through patient journey mapping. Whether it’s to enhance patient satisfaction, streamline healthcare delivery, or identify gaps in service, setting specific objectives will direct your mapping efforts. During this step, you should also determine the scope of your map (i.e. whether it focuses on a particular service line or the entire healthcare experience).

2. Gather a Cross-Functional Team

Assemble a team that represents a broad spectrum of roles within your organization, including clinicians, administrative staff, IT professionals, and cust ome r service representatives. Diverse perspectives ensure a holistic view of the patient journey, capturing insights from every facet of patient interaction. 

3. Map the Patient Touchpoints

Systematically list every interaction point between the patient and your healthcare system. This includes digital touchpoints like website visits, appointment scheduling portals, and social media interactions, as well as physical touchpoints like clinic visits, phone calls, and direct mail communication. Mapping these touchpoints requires a detailed understanding of the patient’s path through your system, from initial awareness through treatment and follow-up care.

4. Collect and Analyze Data

Leverage diverse data sources to understand patient experiences at each touchpoint. Collect patient feedback through cha nne ls like surveys, interviews, and comment cards. Analyze staff insights and review operational data. Look for patterns in behavior and satisfaction levels, and identify bottlenecks or pain points in the patient journey.

Having a centralized data management platform in place is crucial for this step—it provides a central repository for the data you collect as part of your patient journey mapping exercise, while also giving you seamless access to historical data in one location.

5. Visualize the Journey

Develop a visual representation of the patient journey. Use flowcharts, storyboards, or diagrams to depict the sequence of touchpoints and the patient’s experience at each stage. This visualization should be from the patient’s perspective, highlighting critical interactions, emotions, and decision points.

Tools like customer journey mapping software can facilitate this process, but even simple graphical tools or whiteboards can be effective.

6. Identify Moments of Truth

Highlight key moments in the journey that significantly impact the patient’s perception of care—things like first contact, diagnosis communication, wait times, and billing support. These are opportunities to make a lasting impression on the patient, and identifying them allows your team to prioritize areas for immediate improvement or innovation.

7. Develop Improvement Strategies

For each critical moment and touchpoint, evaluate what’s working effectively as well as areas for potential improvements. Call out specific gaps and pain points that may exist for the patient at every stage on your journey map. Then, brainstorm how to resolve them.

This may happen by introducing new technologies, optimizing existing processes, providing additional training for your staff, enhancing communication strategies, and more.

8. Implement Changes

Prioritize the identified improvements based on their potential impact and feasibility. Create a detailed implementation plan, assigning clear responsibilities and deadlines. Ensure there is a mechanism for tracking progress and measuring the impact of these changes on the patient experience and other goals and objectives you set at the start of the process.

9. Monitor and Adjust

Establish a continuous feedback loop to monitor the effectiveness of implemented changes. Use patient feedback, staff input, and performance metrics to assess progress. Be prepared to make iterative adjustments to your strategies based on this feedback, fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

Putting it All Together

Embarking on patient journey mapping is more than a strategic exercise—it’s a commitment to elevating the standard of care through a deep understanding of the patient’s experience. It represents a pivotal shift toward a more empathetic, patient-centric approach in healthcare, where decisions are informed by the nuanced needs and experiences of those we serve.

Gaine’s Coperor platform is a scalable, ecosystem-wide master data management solution designed for the unique challenges of the healthcare and life sciences industries. It creates a single source of data truth within an organization that makes initiatives like journey mapping possible. Learn more here or start your real-time Coperer demo today.

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Healthcare and Life Sciences

The essential guide to patient journey mapping

By Jim Burke

The healthcare industry is experiencing a paradigm shift towards patient-centric care. This shift is driven by the realization that the quality and effectiveness of healthcare services greatly depend on understanding each patient’s unique journey.

At the heart of this transformation lies the concept of patient journey mapping, which aims to capture and analyze a patient’s interactions—from their first point of contact to the final stage of their encounter and their ongoing engagement thereafter.

In this blog, we’ll explore:

• The significance of the patient journey in healthcare.
• The various stages of patient journey mapping.
• How healthcare organizations can leverage Talkdesk tools to map the patient journey effectively.

What is a patient journey?

A healthcare patient journey delineates a patient’s experiences from initial symptom recognition to the final treatment outcome and their ongoing engagement. It includes several stages—awareness, consideration, access, service and care delivery, and ongoing care and engagement.

Patient journey mapping is a strategic tool that helps visualize this process, allowing healthcare providers to better understand their patient needs and identify improvement opportunities.

Why is the patient journey important in healthcare?

Understanding the healthcare patient journey is critical for enhancing patient satisfaction and improving healthcare outcomes. Here are some of the ways patient journey mapping contributes:

It allows you to measure and monitor patient satisfaction.

Patient journey mapping measures patient satisfaction throughout their healthcare experience. This allows healthcare providers to assess the quality of patient interactions at every stage, from the initial consultation to follow-up care after treatment. Healthcare providers can make quick adjustments to their services and touchpoints, leading to continual improvement and high levels of patient satisfaction.

It reduces wait times.

Long waiting times are a very common source of dissatisfaction among patients. Patient journey mapping helps healthcare providers identify factors contributing to these prolonged wait times. With this insight, they can streamline their processes and optimize operations, significantly reducing wait times and enhancing patient satisfaction. 

It helps you identify pain points in the patient experience.

A patient journey map can identify pain points in the patient’s experience. These could range from administrative complexities, low appointment availability, and billing confusion to insufficient follow-up care. Identifying and addressing these issues provides a smoother patient journey, increasing patient satisfaction and improving healthcare outcomes.

The eight steps in the patient journey.

The healthcare patient journey is a comprehensive sequence that encapsulates a patient’s healthcare experience from start to finish. It’s an indispensable tool for healthcare providers striving to enhance patient satisfaction and outcomes. Here are eight critical stages of this journey.

1. Awareness. 

This initial stage is when a patient first recognizes a health issue and begins to seek information about it. They might turn to internet searches, personal knowledge, or advice from friends and family. Healthcare providers can play a crucial role here by offering reliable, easily accessible information and interactive symptom checkers about various health conditions and guiding patients toward appropriate care.

2. Consideration. 

At this stage, patients are actively researching potential healthcare providers and comparing them based on expertise, location, cost, and reputation. Providers can stand out by clearly communicating their unique approach to care or their expertise in treating a specific condition or community, and ensuring positive online reviews and testimonials are readily available for prospective patients.

3. Access. 

This involves patients making their first contact with the healthcare provider, often through booking an appointment or consultation. This process needs to be as seamless and convenient as possible and could include offering flexible scheduling options and streamlined registration processes. Patients expect synchronized and convenient access experiences, similar to what they receive in other industries. Providers who enable self-service and EHR-integrated patient access tools can meet and exceed these expectations and capture patients that might otherwise be frustrated waiting on hold or for normal business hours to get an appointment scheduled or changed.

4. Education. 

As patients learn about their diagnosis and treatment options, healthcare providers must communicate clearly, concisely, and compassionately. This helps patients understand their situation so they can make informed decisions. This might include providing resources like post-visit instructions and condition information  or links to reputable online information. Giving patients easy and consistent access to information helps keep them engaged with their care plan and builds trust with the health system before and in between encounters.

5. Service delivery. 

This is the actual provision of medical care. Whether through routine check-ups, surgical procedures, or ongoing treatments, healthcare providers must offer high-quality, patient-centered care. Efficient service delivery also ensures the healthcare environment is clean, safe, and comfortable for patients.

6. Ongoing care. 

This stage involves follow-up appointments, medication management, and long-term health maintenance. Regular communication and support from healthcare providers are essential to ensure patients adhere to their treatment plans and manage their health effectively. This might include regular check-ins, medication or appointment reminders, and providing self-care resources.

7. New patient referrals. 

Patients who have had a positive experience may recommend the healthcare provider to others. This word-of-mouth marketing is incredibly valuable and often a testament to the high-quality care and service patients have received. Providers can encourage referrals by offering exceptional care and occasionally reminding satisfied patients that referrals are appreciated.

8. Loyalty. 

The final stage of the patient journey is loyalty, where patients choose the same provider for future healthcare needs. This is the ultimate goal for healthcare providers and is achieved through consistent, high-quality patient experiences throughout the journey. Successful loyalty building also involves responding promptly and compassionately to issues or concerns.

Patient experience reimagined by Ed Marx

Ed Marx, author of “Healthcare Digital Transformation” and former CIO of the Cleveland Clinic, shares his thinking on how organizations can make the patient experience a priority.

How to facilitate successful patient journey mapping.

Patient journey mapping allows healthcare organizations to visualize the healthcare experience from the patient’s perspective. This helps providers identify opportunities for improvement and enhance the overall patient experience .

Identify stakeholders.

The first step is identifying the key stakeholders, such as doctors, nurses, patient access center and revenue cycle staff, administrative staff, and even patients and their family members. Involving diverse perspectives can help ensure a more comprehensive understanding of the patient’s journey.

For example, in a hospital, stakeholders might include the access team who schedules appointments, the nurse who takes vitals, the doctor who provides treatment, and the billing department who handles payment in addition to the patient and possibly their caregiver.

Define objectives.

Next, it’s important to clearly define what you hope to achieve with your patient journey map. This could involve improving patient satisfaction, reducing wait times, or improving communication between staff and patients.

An objective could be reducing patient wait times in the health system’s primary care clinics by streamlining the scheduling process.

Map touchpoints.

A touchpoint is any point of interaction between the patient and the healthcare provider. Mapping these touchpoints can help you visualize the patient’s experience and identify any areas of friction or dissatisfaction.

For example, in a typical doctor’s visit, touchpoints include accessing scheduling options and information, scheduling the appointment itself, confirming, rescheduling, or canceling the appointment, checking in at the reception desk, waiting in the waiting room, interacting with the nurse and doctor, receiving a prescription, offering feedback or a review, and paying for the visit .

Provide staff training.

After creating the healthcare patient journey map, training staff on its findings and implications is important. This can ensure everyone understands their role in improving the patient experience and is equipped with the tools and knowledge to make necessary changes.

Staff training might involve role-playing exercises based on the journey map, workshops on improving patient communication, or seminars on implementing new procedures.

Benefits of using Talkdesk tools to gather actionable data.

Talkdesk contact center and patient experience tools help healthcare organizations enhance customer experiences and elevate operational efficiency:Amplifying customer insights.

Customer experience (CX) analytics sheds light on patient behaviors, preferences, and pain points, acting as a compass, guiding healthcare organizations to understand their patients’ needs better.

For instance, CX analytics can reveal patterns in how patients seek help or the common issues they face during their healthcare journey when they interact with key teams like patient access or billing. These insights enable healthcare providers to tailor their services, operations, and support mechanisms to align more closely with patient needs, improving the overall patient experience.

Crafting personalized customer experiences.

Personalization is no longer a luxury, but a necessity in today’s healthcare scenario. Talkdesk CX analytics enables healthcare organizations to personalize patient interactions.

It uses generative AI to draw insights from customer interactions, helping contact centers understand and resolve customer service issues efficiently. This ensures patients receive the most relevant care and assistance. Armed with data-driven insights, healthcare providers can offer targeted recommendations, enhancing the patient experience.

Generative AI and the healthcare contact center of the future

Find out how this exciting new technology will change everything from patient self-service to the role of the healthcare contact center agent.

Boosting operational efficiency.

Operational efficiency is crucial in the healthcare sector, where every minute counts. Analyzing CX data helps identify operational bottlenecks and inefficiencies that could slow down service delivery or affect patient satisfaction.

For example, if data indicates that patients are experiencing long wait times to schedule radiology appointments during certain hours, healthcare organizations can adjust staffing levels or streamline processes during these peak times. Similarly, if certain procedures or systems are causing confusion or dissatisfaction among patients, changes can be implemented to address these issues.

This insight-driven approach enables healthcare organizations to make strategic decisions that improve process flow and operational efficiency. Ultimately, Talkdesk tools empower healthcare providers to deliver a more efficient, seamless, and satisfying patient journey.

Talkdesk makes it simple to map the patient journey. 

The healthcare industry is seeing a range of new, innovative contact center solutions tailored to the unique needs of healthcare providers and payers. These solutions aim to optimize patient experience by facilitating seamless communication across multiple channels, leveraging modern technology.

Talkdesk Healthcare Experience Cloud is the contact center platform built exclusively for healthcare. It allows healthcare organizations to deliver a differentiated patient journey that is connected, personalized, and scalable. This is achieved by integrating AI-powered customer service tools that enhance patient-provider interactions and drive exceptional customer outcomes. Learn more and request a demo of Talkdesk Healthcare Experience Cloud today to see for yourself how we make it simple for you to map, track, and manage patient journeys.

HEALTHCARE & LIFE SCIENCES

The contact center solution built just for healthcare.

Talkdesk Healthcare Experience Cloud™ helps organizations create synchronized, personalized, and radically convenient experiences for healthcare patients, members, and caregivers.

As Talkdesk's Manager for Healthcare and Life Sciences Marketing, Jim Burke is focused on helping healthcare organizations deliver better experiences for their patients and members through thoughtful and transformative technology solutions. He lives in his hometown Los Angeles and is fueled by coffee and Lakers basketball.

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Patient journey 101: Definition, benefits, and strategies

Last updated

22 August 2023

Reviewed by

Melissa Udekwu, BSN., RN., LNC

Today’s patients are highly informed and empowered. They know they have choices in their healthcare, which can put healthcare providers under a lot of pressure to provide solutions and meet their patients’ expectations.

Just like any customer, patients embark on a journey that begins before they ever contact the provider. This makes understanding the journey and where improvements can be made extremely important. Mapping the patient journey can help practitioners provide better care, retain a solid customer base, and ultimately identify ways to improve patient health.

• What is the patient journey?

The patient journey is best described as the sequence of experiences a patient has from admission to discharge. This includes all the touchpoints between the patient and provider from beginning to end.

The patient journey continues through consultation, where they meet the potential caregiver. That portion of the journey includes interactions with a doctor and support staff, how long they wait to be seen, and the steps taken for diagnosis and treatment.

The patient’s post-care journey includes follow-ups from the healthcare provider, post-treatment care, and billing. For example, if the patient has questions about post-surgery care or how to read their invoice, how quickly their questions are answered and their problems resolved will impact their satisfaction.

Mapping the patient journey helps healthcare providers improve patient satisfaction at every step of the way. By collecting data at each stage and conducting an in-depth analysis, providers can identify patient concerns and make the necessary improvements to meet their patient satisfaction goals.

What is another name for the patient journey?

The term “patient funnel” describes the journey patients take from first learning about a healthcare provider or healthcare product to actually making an appointment or purchase. This “funnel” can be applied to any type of business, describing the stages a customer goes through to obtain a service.

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• Understanding the stages of the patient journey

Each stage of the patient journey is essential to a positive patient experience . Gathering and analyzing data can alert healthcare providers to potential issues throughout the journey.

Data collection at each of the following stages will give healthcare providers the information they need to make the necessary improvements:

1. Awareness

Awareness is where the patient journey begins. This is when they first research symptoms and identify the need to see a medical professional.

They may consider at-home remedies and get advice from friends, social media, or websites. Once they identify the need for a healthcare provider, they continue their research via review sites, advertising campaigns, and seeking referrals from friends and family.

Determining the way patients become aware they need healthcare and the sources they use for research is important. The data collected at this stage could suggest your organization has an insufficient social media presence, inadequate advertising, or a website in need of an update.

To remedy these shortcomings, you might consider adding informational blogs to your website, performing a social media analysis, or closely monitoring customer reviews.

This stage in the patient journey is where the patient schedules services with the healthcare provider.

This engagement is essential for acquiring new patients and retaining current patients. Patients will contact you in several ways to schedule an appointment or get information. Most will call on the first attempt to schedule an appointment.

This is a crucial touchpoint in the journey. A new patient may become frustrated and move on if they find it difficult to access your services or are placed on hold for a long period or transferred numerous times.

Patient engagement occurs in other ways, such as your online patient portal, text messages, and emails. Your patients may interact differently, so it’s important to gather data that represents their preferred means of communication. Work to make the improvements required to correct access issues and ensure efficient communication.

The care stage can include everything from your patient’s interaction with the front desk to how long they have to wait in the examination room to see a doctor.

Check-in, check-out, admissions, discharge, billing, and of course, the actual visit with the healthcare provider are other touchpoints in the care stage.

There are a couple of ways to gather and analyze this data. Most organizations choose to analyze it holistically, even if it’s collected separately. For example, you might gather data about the patient’s interaction with the front desk, the clinical visit, and the discharge process, but you may want to analyze the care segment as a whole.

4. Treatment

Treatment may be administered in the office. For example, a patient diagnosed with hypertension may have medication prescribed. That medication is the treatment. Gathering information at this stage is critical to see how your patient views the healthcare provider’s follow-up or responses to inquiries.

In most cases, treatment extends beyond the initial clinical visit. For example, a patient might require additional tests to get a diagnosis. Providing the next steps to a patient in a timely manner and letting them know the test results is crucial to patient satisfaction .

5. Long term

A satisfied patient results in a long-term relationship and referrals to friends and family. Most of the data collected at this stage will be positive since the patient is continuing to use your services.

Gathering data after the treatment stage allows you to expand on the qualities that keep patients returning for your services in the long term.

• Benefits of patient journey mapping

The patient benefits from their healthcare provider understanding their journey and taking steps to improve it. Healthcare providers also reap several benefits, including the following:

1. Efficient patient care

When they understand the patient journey, healthcare providers can provide care more efficiently and spend less time and money on unnecessary, unwanted communications.

2. Proactive patient care

Proactive patient care is aimed at preventing rather than treating disease. For example, women who are over a certain age should have an annual mammogram, smokers may be tested for lung disease, and elderly women may need a bone density study. These preventative measures can help keep disease at bay, improve health outcomes, and build trust with patients.

3. Value-based patient care

Patients don’t want to feel they are being charged unfairly for their healthcare. Focusing on the individual patient promotes satisfaction and yields positive outcomes.

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued recent guidelines for participants that help offset the costs of high-quality care through a reward system.

4. Retention and referrals

Patients who are happy with their journey will keep returning for healthcare, and happy patients equal voluntary referrals. Many providers offer rewards to incentify referrals.

• How to get started with patient journey mapping

Follow the steps below to start the patient journey mapping process:

Establish your patient personas

Journey mapping is a great way to identify your patient’s characteristics so that their experience can be further enhanced.

Some of the following determinations can help you pinpoint your patient’s persona and establish protocols to provide a better service:

How do your patients prefer to communicate? Are they more comfortable with phone calls, texts, or other methods?

How are most patients finding your services? Are they being referred by friends or family members, or are they seeing advertisements?

Would the patient prefer in-person communication or telecommunication?

What are the patient’s expectations of care?

This data can be complex and widespread, but it can give you the information you need to more effectively and efficiently communicate with your patients.

Understand the entire patient lifecycle

Each patient is unique. Understanding the patient lifecycle can avoid confusion and miscommunication.

To positively engage the patient, you’ll need to gather data not only about communication methods but where they are in the patient journey, their health issue, and their familiarity with the healthcare provider’s procedures and treatment options.

Understand the moments of truth

With a few exceptions, most people seek healthcare services when they are ill or have a healthcare issue. These situations can cause patients to feel stressed and anxious. It’s these moments of interaction where compassion, knowledge, and understanding can provide relief and reassurance.

When patients see their healthcare provider, they are looking for solutions to problems. It’s the provider’s opportunity to identify these moments of truth and capitalize on them.

Get the data you need

Healthcare providers can collect vast amounts of data from patients, but the data collected rarely goes far enough in analyzing and determining solutions.

Your patients have high expectations regarding personalized treatment based on data. They want personalized, easy access to medical information and records, responsive treatments and follow-up, and communication in their preferred format.

You need more than clinical data to give patients what they want. You also need personal data that sets each patient apart and ensures a tailored experience.

For example, it might be challenging for parents of small children to contact the clinic and schedule appointments at certain times of the day. As a healthcare provider, you’ll need to be aware of the best times to contact this individual and offer simple methods for scheduling appointments.

Another example is patients with physical disabilities. You can take steps to improve their access to and experience at the healthcare facility.

Encourage referrals and loyalty

Although engagement on social media and online forums is becoming more and more common, the best way for new patients to find you is through referrals. Referrals stem from satisfactory experiences and trust.

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Article Contents

Introduction, why patient journey mapping, how is patient journey mapping conducted, use of technology in patient journey mapping, future implications for patient journey mapping, conclusions.

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Patient journey mapping: emerging methods for understanding and improving patient experiences of health systems and services

Lemma N Bulto and Ellen Davies Shared first authorship.

Conflict of interest: none declared.

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Lemma N Bulto, Ellen Davies, Janet Kelly, Jeroen M Hendriks, Patient journey mapping: emerging methods for understanding and improving patient experiences of health systems and services, European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing , Volume 23, Issue 4, May 2024, Pages 429–433, https://doi.org/10.1093/eurjcn/zvae012

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Patient journey mapping is an emerging field of research that uses various methods to map and report evidence relating to patient experiences and interactions with healthcare providers, services, and systems. This research often involves the development of visual, narrative, and descriptive maps or tables, which describe patient journeys and transitions into, through, and out of health services. This methods corner paper presents an overview of how patient journey mapping has been conducted within the health sector, providing cardiovascular examples. It introduces six key steps for conducting patient journey mapping and describes the opportunities and benefits of using patient journey mapping and future implications of using this approach.

Acquire an understanding of patient journey mapping and the methods and steps employed.

Examine practical and clinical examples in which patient journey mapping has been adopted in cardiac care to explore the perspectives and experiences of patients, family members, and healthcare professionals.

Quality and safety guidelines in healthcare services are increasingly encouraging and mandating engagement of patients, clients, and consumers in partnerships. 1 The aim of many of these partnerships is to consider how health services can be improved, in relation to accessibility, service delivery, discharge, and referral. 2 , 3 Patient journey mapping is a research approach increasingly being adopted to explore these experiences in healthcare. 3

a patient-oriented project that has been undertaken to better understand barriers, facilitators, experiences, interactions with services and/or outcomes for individuals and/or their carers, and family members as they enter, navigate, experience and exit one or more services in a health system by documenting elements of the journey to produce a visual or descriptive map. 3

It is an emerging field with a clear patient-centred focus, as opposed to studies that track patient flow, demand, and movement. As a general principle, patient journey mapping projects will provide evidence of patient perspectives and highlight experiences through the patient and consumer lens.

Patient journey mapping can provide significant insights that enable responsive and context-specific strategies for improving patient healthcare experiences and outcomes to be designed and implemented. 3–6 These improvements can occur at the individual patient, model of care, and/or health system level. As with other emerging methodologies, questions have been raised regarding exactly how patient journey mapping projects can best be designed, conducted, and reported. 3

In this methods paper, we provide an overview of patient journey mapping as an emergent field of research, including reasons that mapping patient journeys might be considered, methods that can be adopted, the principles that can guide patient journey mapping data collection and analysis, and considerations for reporting findings and recognizing the implications of findings. We summarize and draw on five cardiovascular patient journey mapping projects, as examples.

One of the most appealing elements of the patient journey mapping field of research is its focus on illuminating the lived experiences of patients and/or their family members, and the health professionals caring for them, methodically and purposefully. Patient journey mapping has an ability to provide detailed information about patient experiences, gaps in health services, and barriers and facilitators for access to health services. This information can be used independently, or alongside information from larger data sets, to adapt and improve models of care relevant to the population that is being investigated. 3

To date, the most frequent reason for adopting this approach is to inform health service redesign and improvement. 3 , 7 , 8 Other reasons have included: (i) to develop a deeper understanding of a person’s entire journey through health systems; 3 (ii) to identify delays in diagnosis or treatment (often described as bottlenecks); 9 (iii) to identify gaps in care and unmet needs; (iv) to evaluate continuity of care across health services and regions; 10 (v) to understand and evaluate the comprehensiveness of care; 11 (vi) to understand how people are navigating health systems and services; and (vii) to compare patient experiences with practice guidelines and standards of care.

Patient journey mapping approaches frequently use six broad steps that help facilitate the preparation and execution of research projects. These are outlined in the Central illustration . We acknowledge that not all patient journey mapping approaches will follow the order outlined in the Central illustration , but all steps need to be considered at some point throughout each project to ensure that research is undertaken rigorously, appropriately, and in alignment with best practice research principles.

Steps for conducing patient journey mapping.

Five cardiovascular patient journey mapping research examples have been included in Figure 1 , 12–16 to provide specific context and illustrate these six steps. For each of these examples, the problem or gap in practice or research, consultation processes, research question or aim, type of mapping, methods, and reporting of findings have been extracted. Each of these steps is then discussed, using these cardiovascular examples.

Examples of patient journey mapping projects.

Define the problem or gap in practice or research

Developing an understanding of a problem or gap in practice is essential for facilitating the design and development of quality research projects. In the examples outlined in Figure 1 , it is evident that clinical variation or system gaps have been explored using patient journey mapping. In the first two examples, populations known to have health vulnerabilities were explored—in Example 1, this related to comorbid substance use and physical illness, 13 and in Example 2, this related to geographical location. 13 Broader systems and societal gaps were explored in Examples 4 and 5, respectively, 15 , 16 and in Example 3, a new technologically driven solution for an existing model of care was tested for its ability to improve patient outcomes relating to hypertension. 14

Consultation, engagement, and partnership

Ideally, consultation with heathcare providers and/or patients would occur when the problem or gap in practice or research is being defined. This is a key principle of co-designed research. 17 Numerous existing frameworks for supporting patient involvement in research have been designed and were recently documented and explored in a systematic review by Greenhalgh et al . 18 While none of the five example studies included this step in the initial phase of the project, it is increasingly being undertaken in patient partnership projects internationally (e.g. in renal care). 17 If not in the project conceptualization phase, consultation may occur during the data collection or analysis phase, as demonstrated in Example 3, where a care pathway was co-created with participants. 14 We refer readers to Greenhalgh’s systematic review as a starting point for considering suitable frameworks for engaging participants in consultation, partnership, and co-design of patient journey mapping projects. 18

Design the research question/project aim

Conducting patient journey mapping research requires a thoughtful and systematic approach to adequately capture the complexity of the healthcare experience. First, the research objectives and questions should be clearly defined. Aspects of the patient journey that will be explored need to be identified. Then, a robust approach must be developed, taking into account whether qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods are more appropriate for the objectives of the study.

For example, in the cardiac examples in Figure 1 , the broad aims included mapping existing pathways through health services where there were known problems 12 , 13 , 15 , 16 and documenting the co-creation of a new care pathway using quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods. 14

In traditional studies, questions that might be addressed in the area of patient movement in health systems include data collected through the health systems databases, such as ‘What is the length of stay for x population’, or ‘What is the door to balloon time in this hospital?’ In contrast, patient mapping journey studies will approach asking questions about experiences that require data from patients and their family members, e.g. ‘What is the impact on you of your length of stay?’, ‘What was your experience in being assessed and undergoing treatment for your chest pain?’, ‘What was your experience supporting this patient during their cardiac admission and discharge?’

Select appropriate type of mapping

The methods chosen for mapping need to align with the identified purpose for mapping and the aim or question that was designed in Step 3. A range of research methods have been used in patient journey mapping projects involving various qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods techniques and tools. 4 Some approaches use traditional forms of data collection, such as short-form and long-form patient interviews, focus groups, and direct patient observations. 18 , 19 Other approaches use patient journey mapping tools, designed and used with specific cultural groups, such as First Nations peoples using artwork, paintings, sand trays, and photovoice. 17 , 20 In the cardiovascular examples presented in Figure 1 , both qualitative and quantitative methods have been used, with interviews, patient record reviews, and observational techniques adopted to map patient journeys.

In a recent scoping review investigating patient journey mapping across all health care settings and specialities, six types of patient journey mapping were identified. 3 These included (i) mapping key experiences throughout a period of illness; (ii) mapping by location of health service; (iii) mapping by events that occurred throughout a period of illness; (iv) mapping roles, input, and experiences of key stakeholders throughout patient journeys; (v) mapping a journey from multiple perspectives; and (vi) mapping a timeline of events. 3 Combinations or variations of these may be used in cardiovascular settings in the future, depending on the research question, and the reasons mapping is being undertaken.

Recruit, collect data, and analyse data

The majority of health-focused patient journey mapping projects published to date have recruited <50 participants. 3 Projects with fewer participants tend to be qualitative in nature. In the cardiovascular examples provided in Figure 1 , participant numbers range from 7 14 to 260. 15 The 3 studies with <20 participants were qualitative, 12 , 14 , 16 and the 2 with 95 and 260 participants, respectively, were quantitative. 13 , 15 As seen in these and wider patient journey mapping examples, 3 participants may include patients, relatives, carers, healthcare professionals, or other stakeholders, as required, to meet the study objectives. These different participant perspectives may be analysed within each participant group and/or across the wider cohort to provide insights into experiences, and the contextual factors that shape these experiences.

The approach chosen for data collection and analysis will vary and depends on the research question. What differentiates data analysis in patient journey mapping studies from other qualitative or quantitative studies is the focus on describing, defining, or exploring the journey from a patient’s, rather than a health service, perspective. Dimensions that may, therefore, be highlighted in the analysis include timing of service access, duration of delays to service access, physical location of services relative to a patient’s home, comparison of care received vs. benchmarked care, placing focus on the patient perspective.

The mapping of individual patient journeys may take place during data collection with the use of mapping templates (tables, diagrams, and figures) and/or later in the analysis phase with the use of inductive or deductive analysis, mapping tables, or frameworks. These have been characterized and visually represented in a recent scoping review. 3 Representations of patient journeys can also be constructed through a secondary analysis of previously collected data. In these instances, qualitative data (i.e. interviews and focus group transcripts) have been re-analysed to understand whether a patient journey narrative can be extracted and reported. Undertaking these projects triggers a new research cycle involving the six steps outlined in the Central illustration . The difference in these instances is that the data are already collected for Step 5.

Report findings, disseminate findings, and take action on findings

A standardized, formal reporting guideline for patient journey mapping research does not currently exist. As argued in Davies et al ., 3 a dedicated reporting guide for patient journey mapping would be ill-advised, given the diversity of approaches and methods that have been adopted in this field. Our recommendation is for projects to be reported in accordance with formal guidelines that best align with the research methods that have been adopted. For example, COREQ may be used for patient journey mapping where qualitative methods have been used. 20 STROBE may be used for patient journey mapping where quantitative methods have been used. 21 Whichever methods have been adopted, reporting of projects should be transparent, rigorous, and contain enough detail to the extent that the principles of transparency, trustworthiness, and reproducibility are upheld. 3

Dissemination of research findings needs to include the research, healthcare, and broader communities. Dissemination methods may include academic publications, conference presentations, and communication with relevant stakeholders including healthcare professionals, policymakers, and patient advocacy groups. Based on the findings and identified insights, stakeholders can collaboratively design and implement interventions, programmes, or improvements in healthcare delivery that overcome the identified challenges directly and address and improve the overall patient experience. This cyclical process can hopefully produce research that not only informs but also leads to tangible improvements in healthcare practice and policy.

Patient journey mapping is typically a hands-on process, relying on surveys, interviews, and observational research. The technology that supports this research has, to date, included word processing software, and data analysis packages, such as NVivo, SPSS, and Stata. With the advent of more sophisticated technological tools, such as electronic health records, data analytics programmes, and patient tracking systems, healthcare providers and researchers can potentially use this technology to complement and enhance patient journey mapping research. 19 , 20 , 22 There are existing examples where technology has been harnessed in patient journey. Lee et al . used patient journey mapping to verify disease treatment data from the perspective of the patient, and then the authors developed a mobile prototype that organizes and visualizes personal health information according to the patient-centred journey map. They used a visualization approach for analysing medical information in personal health management and examined the medical information representation of seven mobile health apps that were used by patients and individuals. The apps provide easy access to patient health information; they primarily import data from the hospital database, without the need for patients to create their own medical records and information. 23

In another example, Wauben et al. 19 used radio frequency identification technology (a wireless system that is able to track a patient journey), as a component of their patient journey mapping project, to track surgical day care patients to increase patient flow, reduce wait times, and improve patient and staff satisfaction.

Patient journey mapping has emerged as a valuable research methodology in healthcare, providing a comprehensive and patient-centric approach to understanding the entire spectrum of a patient’s experience within the healthcare system. Future implications of this methodology are promising, particularly for transforming and redesigning healthcare delivery and improving patient outcomes. The impact may be most profound in the following key areas:

Personalized, patient-centred care : The methodology allows healthcare providers to gain deep insights into individual patient experiences. This information can be leveraged to deliver personalized, patient-centric care, based on the needs, values, and preferences of each patient, and aligned with guideline recommendations, healthcare professionals can tailor interventions and treatment plans to optimize patient and clinical outcomes.

Enhanced communication, collaboration, and co-design : Mapping patient interactions with health professionals and journeys within and across health services enables specific gaps in communication and collaboration to be highlighted and potentially informs responsive strategies for improvement. Ideally, these strategies would be co-designed with patients and health professionals, leading to improved care co-ordination and healthcare experience and outcomes.

Patient engagement and empowerment : When patients are invited to share their health journey experiences, and see visual or written representations of their journeys, they may come to understand their own health situation more deeply. Potentially, this may lead to increased health literacy, renewed adherence to treatment plans, and/or self-management of chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease. Given these benefits, we recommend that patients be provided with the findings of research and quality improvement projects with which they are involved, to close the loop, and to ensure that the findings are appropriately disseminated.

Patient journey mapping is an emerging field of research. Methods used in patient journey mapping projects have varied quite significantly; however, there are common research processes that can be followed to produce high-quality, insightful, and valuable research outputs. Insights gained from patient journey mapping can facilitate the identification of areas for enhancement within healthcare systems and inform the design of patient-centric solutions that prioritize the quality of care and patient outcomes, and patient satisfaction. Using patient journey mapping research can enable healthcare providers to forge stronger patient–provider relationships and co-design improved health service quality, patient experiences, and outcomes.

None declared.

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Author notes

• cardiovascular system
• health personnel
• health services
• health care systems
• narrative discourse

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Patient Journey Mapping In 2024, Guide + [Examples & Template]

Sliman M. Baghouri

Patient Journey Maps are the secret ingredient to a thriving medical business. Let’s discuss how to implement this strategy for your practice in under 3 days.

Imagine you have the ability to hand-craft the perfect patient experience, tailored specifically to your brand. An experience that skyrockets patient retention, doubles your profit margins and creates cult-like loyalty to your medical business.

This is exactly what I’ll share with you today. We’ll go through what are patient journey maps, how to use them, and how they can catapult your practice to the next level.

Other topics I will discuss are:

What is a Patient Journey?

• What is Patient Journey Mapping?
• What are the benefits of this strategy?
• Step-by-step process to implement your patient journey mapping workshop
• Examples of patient journey mapping
• Free patient journey mapping templates to use
• The secret to a fruitful patient journey map

Let us dive in.

A Patient Journey (A.K.A customer journey) is a series of events the patient goes through from his/her first interaction with your medical business up until post-treatment. It outlines every touchpoint (point of contact) the patient comes across during the whole patient experience.

What is a Patient Journey Mapping?

A Patient Journey Mapping (PJM) is the act of tracking, optimizing, and enhancing all of the events that happen during the patient journey. Think of it as creating a map to the whole patient experience and proactively looking for hidden issues across all of your touchpoints.

What are the benefits of patient journey mapping?

There are endless benefits to patient journey mapping. So let’s check some of the important ones.

1) Lets you uncover the blind-spots in your medical business

The most wicked, money-draining issues we face are the ones that hide in plain sight. It’s easy to get tunnel-versioned on the “obvious” and skip past critical parts of your business. This is where patient journey mapping comes into play. It hones in on the easy-to-miss spots in your practice and extracts the invisible layers of hindrances.

This way you make sure that your practice growth is not held off by small and hard to pinpoint bottlenecks.

2) It allows you to craft a personalized patient experience

A great benefit of patient journey mapping is that it lets you overhaul the whole patient journey the way you want it. It enables you to sketch the perfect patient experience based on what you want the patient to feel, experience, or know. This is an opportunity for you to fully tailor every aspect of your medical business to be personalized and boost their retention.

3) It skyrockets patient retention

Due to the enhanced communication and personalization in the patient experience, patient retention will soar. Patient journey mapping enables you to better connect with the patient and sympathize with their state throughout the treatment experience. This way of communication with the patients shrinks the “psychic distance” between the patient and your medical brand. Therefore building stronger relationships and affinity for your practice.

4) It increases profit and accelerates your medical business growth

According to recent research by Aberdeen Group , businesses that perform customer journeys see exponential growth year after year. Those growth spikes include:

• 18X faster average sales
• 56% up-sell revenue
• 10X improvement in customer service costs
• 5X greater revenue from customer referrals
• 54% greater ROI (return of investment)

These unmatched growth results are the outcome of a great journey mapping. Enhancing your patient experience from start to finish will be a fruitful endeavor in terms of profit-growth.

5) It provides alignment among your staff

Patient journey mapping is a collaborative strategy by nature. Key stakeholders need to attend the workshop to see the bigger picture of the patient experience. This collaborative environment will align all of your team under one umbrella, ensuring that everyone is on the same page and vibrating at the same frequency. This will create consistency and harmony between all of your team which will result in a seamless experience for your patients.

Step-By-Step Process: how to create a patient journey map:

Now that you know the importance of the patient journey, let’s dive into the process of how to implement it with your medical business.

From our experience, the process usually takes between 2 days to 3 days. It shouldn’t take more than 3 days to fully complete your patient journey.

Let’s go through the stages one by one.

Day 1: Preparation Stage

The patient journey map is as good as the preparation behind it. On the first day, you’ll need to finish the following critical tasks:

1) Gather Insights and information

In this phase, you’ll start by collecting important data points that will help you during your patient journey mapping workshop. If you’re not sure what insights to gather, consider the following:

• Who’s the target patient your practice or hospital attracts? E,g: middle-aged moms, C-suite executives, or maybe you’re cosmetic service and most of your patients are image-aware people like actors, politicians? If you don’t have an exact patient base, you can write down the ideal patients that you want to work with.
• Any relevant data from customer service chat logs, emails, or even anecdotal information from support, marketing team, or about the issues patients usually experience
• If your practice brand is active online, you might want to check data from analytics tools like Google Analytics or Facebook ads if you’re running digital advertising campaigns. That can give you some insight into what is happening across your online touchpoints
• Gather your testimonials from the patients, good and bad. This will help us understand the mind of your patient and what he thinks about your brand.

Don’t get caught up in this phase too much. The aim here is to capture rough ideas about the patients and their thoughts towards your brand. From our experience, we’ve found that large amounts of data do not fundamentally change the first hypothesis about the patient base.

2) Define the goals and the scope of your patient journey map

Defining the goals and objectives of the workshop is key to its success. It ensures that you’re on the right track and everyone is on the same page. It also makes it easy for you to measure the success of the strategy by checking back and seeing the progress that has been made towards the end goals.

Here are some questions to ask yourself when defining the scope of the workshop:

• What are the key aspects of the medical business you want to tackle?
• What are the desired outcomes you want out of this workshop?
• Do you have any hypotheses you want to confirm by performing a patient journey map?
• What are the ultimate results and end goals you’d like to achieve after acting-out on the patient journey map?

Answering these questions should give you a head start to defining the scope of the strategy.

3) Choose your team

Having the right people around when conducting PJM is important to a fruitful workshop. On the other hand, choosing too many people or the wrong team can hurt the outcome of the strategy.

From our experience 2-6 people are a manageable number. Any more than that and it will hinder the process of the workshop.

However, the key element here is to choose one stakeholder from each part of your business. Or if you’re a larger facility, a stakeholder from each department is a great option. Make sure that everyone in the team has gone through the scope and the goals of the PJM.

Day 2: The Workshop Stage

Now that everything is prepared, let’s dive into the details of the PJM and how to run the workshop.

Phase 1: Bring the necessary materials

There are two ways to run the workshop: online or in person. Both are fine but for the sake of convenience, I’ll use digital platforms to perform the PJM.

You can invite your team via Zoom and use collaborative virtual whiteboards like Miro or Mural . These online workplaces will make it easy for your team to join the workshop from the leisure of their homes.

But if you decide you’d like to run the workshop in person, the same principles will apply. But you’ll need to prepare stationery tools like pens, post-its of different colors, masking tape, and large sheets of paper to hang on the wall.

Phase 2: Start the workshop

This is the interactive part of the process. It takes roughly 1.5 to 2 hours to finish the complete first draft of the map.

Introduction ⏰ [5-10 minute]

• Introduce the exercise to the participant and explain why you’re doing this
• Explain the benefits of this exercise and the end goal of the PJM
• Recap the insights you gathered from your data and explain who your patient-base is.

Mapping Exercise ⏰ [60-90 minute]

The first thing to do is to present the patient’s journey map. The map consists of different stages, each stage contains specific steps the patients go through. Our goal here to hone in on these steps and pose questions regarding this particular step

• What are the questions they might be asking
• Are there any happy moments in this step?
• What are the pain points that the patient might experience?
• What opportunities could enhance this particular step?

Here’s roughly how the digital version of the patient journey should look like:

If you’re running the workshop in person, the PJM might look like this:

For each step ask participants to use sticky notes to answer the above questions. At the end of the exercise you should have something like this:

After you finish the first draft of the map, discuss with your team the observation and insights they made. It’s important to create a sense of collaboration during this exercise. Your team should feel involved and invested in the success of the strategy.

Wrap up the workshop ⏰ [5-10 minute]

After everything is said and done, offer a quick recap of what everybody has done today. It is important to inform the participant as to what’s coming next.

Day 3: The Final Stage

Now that the map is finished, all is left is to finalize the Map and provide a concrete plan for the whole team to start acting on.

• If you run the workshop in person, make sure to convert the map, insights, and notes into a digital format. This will make it more accessible for the whole team to go back and see the PJM
• Provide the team with a video or write-up about the strategy and the purpose behind it. Make sure to include how this can benefit the whole team and the brand overall
• Turn the insights and the results you got out of the PJM into an action plan. This plan should include what to do next at each step of the patient journey and what are the things that need to change. This is a critical part of the PJM. You want to act out the strategy to start seeing improvement and profit results for your medical business.

Patient Journey Example

I’ll share with you a recent example of the patient journeys map we conducted with our client so you can see roughly how the first draft of the map should look like.

Hospital Patient Journey

Here is Healthier™ ’s PJM, an Orlando-based community hospital:

For full screen click here or click on see board

The results of performing PJM

• Healthier profit margin nearly doubled from the first year of acting out the PJM
• The hospital start now is acquiring 4X the volume of last year
• The hospital patient retention rate increased from 12% up to 18% within the first year

The secret to a result-driven patient journey map

The Patient Journey Map is as good as the action-plan behind it. The last thing you want is unactionable PJM. You need to provide your team and your stakeholders with an action-based plan that goes through the next steps.

The steps that will redeem the pain-points of your patients, take advantage of the opportunities and make an unforgettable patient experience.

If you’re looking for help to facilitate your workshop or perform a patient journey map, drop me a message . I’d gladly help you.

• what is a patient journey
• what is a patient journey mapping
• what are the benefits of patient journey mapping
• step by step process how to create a patient journey map
• patient journey example
• the secret to a result driven patient journey map

Sliman M. Baghouri, Founder of unnus™, he's the co-author of unnus magazine and regular contributor in the healthcare marketing industry.

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The collaborative patient journey mapping tool

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As a patient’s journey isn’t limited to just before, during, and after their appointment, patient-oriented teams need to have an overview of the entire patient experience.

Manage every patient journey from one place

Delivering a customized experience for every patient journey isn’t something you can manage in a spreadsheet. You need to be able to see and make connections between patient journeys.

Align stakeholders beyond clinical data

Embark on a new chapter of patient journey management that enables you to surface opportunities across the whole patient lifecycle.

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How to Create Patient Journey Mapping for Superior Healthcare Experiences

The healthcare system faces constant challenges due to different priorities, budget restrictions, and limited supplies. Along with this, they also need to ensure a positive patient experience by increasing healthcare quality. 

Healthcare is a complex system; hence, the fundamental step is to provide information to the patients that they can easily understand and actively participate in the treatment process. 

For healthcare organizations, patient experience and engagement are often a differentiating factor between hospitals. Understanding patient experience through every stage of their care helps hospitals improve overall patient experience and internal communication. This is where  patient journey mapping  comes in. Patient journey mapping is essential in identifying the shortfalls in your patient experience and understanding your patients’ needs better.

What is Patient Journey Mapping?

Patient journey mapping works to identify and understand the details of all patient touch points within a specific healthcare experience. When done correctly, patient journey maps make it easier for you to identify pain points, discover opportunities, and re-align treatment and care approaches across the entire healthcare system.

The healthcare customer journey map represents a patient’s journey while receiving healthcare. The healthcare journey mapping helps the healthcare professionals to see from the patient’s point of view and modify the healthcare approach.

Patients’ healthcare journey mapping helps to visualize highs, lows, and blind spots in end to end patient engagement cycle . Understanding the patients’ clinical and emotional journey can help you build a holistic view of what your patient is going through during this period. 

Healthcare journey mapping will help to find answers to the questions, for example:  

• What is the patient experiencing?  
• How is the patient living with their newly diagnosed condition?  
• What about the patient’s family and relatives?  
• Which part of the healthcare organization needs improvement?  
• How happy is the patient with the healthcare facility?  

When done correctly, the healthcare customer journey map will make it easier for your facility to identify obstacles, discover places of improvement, and restructure intervention approaches across the entire healthcare system. 

Benefits of Patient Journey Map Framework

Patient journey mapping for a hospital is an opportunity to turn your patients’ experience with the system from  reactive to proactive . Engaging patients during every stage of their healthcare will help build their confidence and trust and encourage them to refer your facility to their friends and families. 

Healthcare customer journey map offers advantages like: 

• Exposes gaps   

Patient experience map aids to expose blind spots in your system, like appointment process, hospital care, customer service etc., which can help unfold the truth that might be creating a negative experience.  

When a patient is unhappy, there is a  91%  chance that they won’t revisit your hospital and might typically inform nine to 15 people about your services. Therefore, the patient journey mapping plan helps find solutions per their needs and preferences.  

• Improves communication   

Communication is an essential tool for doctors to understand patients’ health. However, exchanging patient information and coordinating care can be a challenge and build frustration in your patients. This misalignment can be due to factors like confidentiality or incompatible systems.  

The patient journey mapping template effectively sets up transparent  communication between the patients and healthcare professionals.  Through a patient experience map, you can easily identify the red flags in the communication system.  

• Understands patients’ concerns   

Most patients are unaware of the relationship between their medical condition and symptoms. A patient journey mapping template can overcome these struggles faced by your patients. In addition, the healthcare journey mapping template helps to understand their issues and educate them about their diagnosis.  

• Supports patients during the post-treatment stage   

After a healthcare professional diagnoses the patient, they suggest treatment. After receiving the treatment, patients have to live with the new lifestyle, including medications, physical therapy, counseling, etc.  

Healthcare journey mapping helps support patients during this post-treatment stage by monitoring their post-treatment life, identifying problems, and helping discover ways to solve these problems. 

• Streamline healthcare workflow   

Healthcare customer journey map will help you upgrade the  usability and functionality  of online patient portals, websites, and mobile apps to put more control in the patients’ hands, increase patient flow, and cut operational expenses.  

Stages of Healthcare Journey Mapping

The different stages of the patient journey mapping help set an example of the intricate level of patients’ involvement in your facility. The healthcare customer journey map plan usually occurs at (but are not limited to) the following stages:    

• Pre-visit    

A patient’s journey starts when they begin to experience symptoms and try to research, or contact a facility via phone call, text, email, or an in-person visit.  

Nearly  81% of patients  prefer scheduling their appointments online. Hence, the software used should be designed in such a way that it is easy for your patient to schedule an appointment and have streamlined communication with the healthcare professionals. 

• During visit    

After establishing contact with the hospital, the patient sets an in-person or virtual appointment with a healthcare professional for the preliminary examination.   

The patient will have the following experience in your facility:  

• Checking in at the front desk  
• Waiting in the lobby to be called  
• Discussion with staff before speaking to a professional  
• Care from healthcare professionals and staff  

The diagnosis might not be a one-step process as the patient may require several tests that the healthcare professional can review and conclude. 

• Post-visit   

During this stage, the patient goes through the following experiences:  

• Post-care instructions  
• Hospital discharge process  
• Completing a feedback survey  
• Paying for the treatment  
• Post-surgery calls from the nurse or doctor  

The patient might have to stay in your facility for the treatment process or receive home care. Healthcare professionals may overlook this stage, especially when the patient is receiving home care or is responding well to the treatment.   

How to Create Patient Journey Map for Superior Healthcare Experiences

To create and implement a practical patient experience map, you must understand the patient’s service. Without entirely understanding their patients, you may find it challenging to fill the gaps in your system. 

Define the goals and the scope of the patient journey mapping plan

The first step for any organization should be defining their goals and scope and beginning with the healthcare journey mapping for a hospital. To understand the goals and scope, you can create a list of questions like:    

• What are the key points this organization needs to tackle?   
• What are the expected results or end goals the organization wishes to achieve by using a healthcare customer journey map?   

By defining the goals and scope and answering these questions, you can ensure everyone is on the same page. This step is the key to success as the organizations can measure the progress being made to reach their end goals.   

To begin their mapping journey, you should also understand the concept of a healthcare journey mapping plan by conducting tremendous research and hiring an expert to guide your organization through the mapping process.   

Map the patient touchpoints

Patient touchpoints include  where and how your patient interacts with your facility  and their experiences. This process will consist of all the stages of the patient journey mapping, for example, pre-visit, visit, treatment, and post-visit stages.   

Touchpoints will make up most of the patient journey mapping of a hospital.  Therefore, as you conduct patient experience map research and note their touchpoints, it is essential that you also include the potential challenges and the patient’s emotional state.   

Once you define different patient touchpoints, you can arrange them on the patient experience map.   

Make use of technology and tools to automate parts of the healthcare customer journey map

It is essential that you actively involve and support your patients in decision-making. This might seem a straightforward task; however, with a complex healthcare system, it becomes necessary to automate certain parts of the patient journey.   

Automation can be achieved using tools and technology, which can act as a front door to your organization to achieve desired outcomes, such as patient compliance and satisfaction, and efficiency.   

You can use digital engagement tools in various parts of a patient journey like:   

• Appointment booking   
• Appointment reminders   
• Medicine reminders   
• Follow-up scheduling   
• Collecting patient feedback   

With digital patient engagement tools, you can expand your reach, reduce manual workload, and keep the patients better informed.  

Create a patient communication plan across each stage of patient journey mapping

An effective patient communication plan helps eliminate the barriers between your organization and patients and ensure that every person involved in the care process is well-informed about the patient.   

The patient communication plan must include hardware and software to improve the performance of the organizations. To create an effective patient communication plan, you must:   

• Analyze the current communication system   
• Encourage internal discussions   
• Adopt more recent communication technologies   
• Train the healthcare staff about the more recent technologies   
• Monitor the effectiveness of the more recent communication technologies.

Collect patient feedback for continuous improvement in the healthcare journey map

The most insightful data any healthcare organization can collect is getting feedback from their patients, who have interacted with the organization. You can look out for information like:   

• What was the initial experience of the patient?  
• How easy or difficult was it for the patient to use the organization’s app/website?  
• What problems initially encountered by the patients are not solved?  

By collecting patient feedback, you can make data-driven decisions for your patients and the organization and make continuous improvements. 

Moving forward with a healthcare journey map

Despite years of expertise, it’s easy for the healthcare system to face persistent issues in the patient care process. It’s about uncovering in-depth insights via journey maps and translating them into actionable strategies to bridge the gap between emerging patient needs and the present state of the organization.  

Once on the right track, the organizations can manage and grow relationships at every step of patient care. The more patient-centric an organization becomes, the better their experience builds,  leading to a higher quality of patient care, retention, loyalty, and improved well-being.  

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Creation of a Patient-Centered Journey Map to Improve the Patient Experience: A Mixed Methods Approach

Lindsey m. philpot.

a Mayo Clinic Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery, Rochester, MN

b Department of Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN

Bushra A. Khokhar

Meredith a. dezutter, conor g. loftus, heidi i. stehr.

c Office of Patient Experience, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN

Priya Ramar

Lukas p. madson, jon o. ebbert, associated data.

To use a mixed methods approach to focus quality improvement efforts to enhance patient experience through human-centered design.

Patients and Methods

A mixed method approach began with returned Press Ganey Medical Practice Surveys from a large, multidisciplinary, outpatient medicine practice from July 1, 2016, through June 30, 2017, using correlation and gap analysis. The second phase deployed human-centered design approaches to process map patient journeys and generate opportunities for care improvement and to generate a theoretical framework for designing optimal care experiences.

Our outpatient medical practices have the greatest ability to improve patient experience scores by focusing on how care teams deliver and educate patients on medications, instructions for follow-up care, and explanations about problems or conditions. By leveraging communication, the expertise of our care team members, and connection between patients and care team members, we can employ a variety of observed opportunities to enhance patient experience. Specific opportunities include leveraging tools in the electronic health record, fostering connection through empathy between patients and members of the care team, and capitalizing on the expertise of nurses on the care team.

A mixed methods approach to the analysis and observation of clinical care and business operations allows for the detection of opportunities with the highest potential impact for improvement when resources are constrained.

Patient-centeredness in the provision of health care engages patients in discussions and empowers them with decisions in a manner consistent with their values and preferences. 1 Previous investigators have suggested that the 3 main components of patient-centered care are communication, partnership, and health promotion. 2 The intent of patient-centered care is to reduce health care costs, improve health outcomes, and enhance patient experience. 3 The Institute of Medicine recommends patient-centered care as 1 of the 6 objectives to improve the delivery of health care in the modern era. 4

Health care costs, health outcomes, and patient experience are core measures of health care quality. In the outpatient setting, drivers of patient experience include provider communication style and organizational factors. Providers who address patient concerns, actively listen, and engage patients in decision making have higher patient satisfaction scores. 2 Organizational factors that improve patient experience include the ratio of support to clinical staff and the proportion of staff who would recommend the clinic as a place to work or receive care. 5 Patient satisfaction with health care has been associated with diabetes self-management, treatment plan adherence, 6 and surgical complications and readmissions. 7 Patient satisfaction has been linked to patient loyalty to an individual provider or organization 8 and to job satisfaction among health care providers. 9

Measures of patient experience are becoming increasingly requested by both government and nongovernment payers, as well as by public reporting and health care ranking organizations. 10 Measurement of patient experience leveraging commercial survey tools has become a standard practice across most large health care organizations. Translation of survey findings to practice improvements has been a challenge to individual providers and group practices, 11 where characteristics of individual provider practice styles can be mixed with environmental and organizational factors, such as aspects of the practice setting. 12 Furthermore, higher patient satisfaction has been observed to be correlated with nondesirable outcomes, such as greater health care expenditures and patient mortality. 13 As such, patient satisfaction measures should not be the sole driver of practice change.

Few published studies have predicated practice change on human-centered approaches. 14 To improve experience for both patients and providers, discoveries from human-centered quality improvement initiatives can be integrated into clinical practice through actionable steps in alignment with broader institutional goals. 15 Research suggests that there are a variety of interventions that may improve patient care team interactions 16 ; however, tailoring these interventions for each clinical scenario can be challenging because improvement efforts require the coordination of multidisciplinary practices. 17

In the present study, we sought to determine which specific aspects of patient experience had the greatest potential for improvement in overall patient experience in a group of large, ambulatory, general and specialty internal medicine practices. We then deployed a human-centered design approach to observe patients and members of the care team to create a patient journey map identifying specific areas for improvement, and we created a theoretical framework to be used in the design of the optimal person-centered care experience. We report on the methods used for this investigation, the improvement opportunities identified, and a 3-part framework for consideration when designing optimal patient experiences.

Study Overview, Setting, and Populations

This study was conducted in 2 phases from July 1, 2016, through December 1, 2018, and was approved by the Mayo Clinic Institutional Review Board.

During phase 1 of the study, we used 17,141 Press Ganey Medical Practice Surveys (Press Ganey Associates Inc) completed by patients after an ambulatory visit in 1 of 10 divisions in the Mayo Clinic Department of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota, a large, integrated, multispecialty practice of 474 physicians serving more than 200,000 unique patients annually. The Department of Medicine comprises the following clinical divisions: allergic diseases; community internal medicine; endocrinology; gastroenterology and hepatology; general internal medicine; hematology; infectious diseases; preventive, occupational, and aerospace medicine; pulmonology and sleep medicine; and rheumatology. The Department of Medicine covers a broad range of general and subspecialty practices, but most practice areas have a similar staffing composition and workflow structure, with shared reporting through the departmental level. We, therefore, chose to examine the entire Department of Medicine practice for this study. The intent of this analysis phase was to identify 1 to 3 unique areas of care delivery with the largest potential effect on overall patient experience.

Phase 2 of the study used a human-centered design approach to observe and synthesize best practices related to the areas of focus identified in phase 1. Best practices were used to identify areas of opportunity at the department and individual practice area levels to enhance patient experience and to construct concepts that could be used to design an optimal patient experience across the department as a whole.

Phase 1: Using Patient Survey Results to Focus Quality Improvement Efforts

To use patient experience surveys to focus quality improvement efforts, we used 17,141 Press Ganey Medical Practice Surveys completed and returned from July 1, 2016, through June 30, 2017. Press Ganey Medical Practice Surveys display suitable properties for deployment in health care settings 18 and are used in routine clinical care and quality monitoring across the Mayo Clinic ambulatory care practice. The survey instrument ( Supplemental Appendix 1 , available online at http://www.mcpiqojournal.org ) is divided into 6 domains, each comprising 2 to 10 individual survey items: access (4 items), moving through your visit (2 items), nurse/assistant (4 items), care provider (10 items), personal issues (6 items), and overall assessment (3 items). Items are assessed on a 5-point Likert scale (very poor, poor, fair, good, and very good). If a patient had completed more than 1 survey during the study period, only the most recent completed survey was included.

The Spearman rank correlation coefficient was calculated to understand correlations between individual survey items and the overall assessment question: “Overall rating of care received during your visit.” The following interpretation was used: 0.00 to 0.19, very weak; 0.20 to 0.39, weak; 0.40 to 0.59, moderate; 0.60 to 0.79, strong; and 0.80 to 1.00, very strong. Individual survey items demonstrating strong or very strong correlations with the score for overall satisfaction in 8 of 10 of the divisions were assessed for areas of opportunity within the department as a whole. To measure the potential impact of each item deemed strongly or very strongly correlated with patient overall satisfaction, we calculated the prevalence of the 4 lowest response options (very poor, poor, fair, good). Prevalence of opportunity to affect overall satisfaction with care, ongoing division and institutional initiatives, and similarity of target areas were taken into consideration by the study team to determine where to focus phase 2 study efforts.

Phase 2: Human-Centered Design Observations and Synthesis

Process mapping of patient journeys through health care experiences has been published elsewhere, and this approach can be viewed as a mechanism to understand the series of steps or events involved in the health care process. 17 To focus our observations, the project team created an interview and observation guide to be deployed by all observers ( Supplemental Appendix 2 , available online at http://www.mcpiqojournal.org ). Prompts for observations were grouped by observation location: patient waiting room, rooming, and within the visit/with the provider. Individual observation questions were developed collectively by the study team through several rounds of open discussion and brainstorming. The study team chose individual questions to pay particular attention to during observations, which appear in bold in the observation guide. The specific aims of the observations were as follows:

• 1. Assessing the full patient journey and not just the appointment. For example, identifying opportunities before patients are evaluated in the clinic, in the waiting area, during rooming, and after the appointment.
• 2. Understanding how behaviors and needs differ across all people (patients, family members, care teams, staff, etc), affecting the full human experience for all included in the patient journey.
• 3. Identifying current patient experience strategies and how they are being used in practice.

In addition to the observations, we also developed and deployed interview guides specific to 2 main stakeholder groups: provider/members of the care team and patients. Interview questions were developed collectively by the study team based on input received from the clinical practice chairs of the divisions. Interview guides were included with the observation guides in the research booklets. Observers were asked to document their observations directly in their research booklet or other note-keeping source of their choosing.

The purpose of the observations was to understand the current workflows and how they relate to positive patient experiences in the Department of Medicine outpatient practice. We selected a range of practices and providers who were highest performing on the patient experience surveys, including the community internal medicine division, to observe patients receiving longitudinal care, the general internal medicine practice responsible for intake and coordination of patients with complex illness, and pulmonology/sleep medicine and gastroenterology/hepatology to represent the specialty practices. During the observation period, we observed 16 half-day clinic sessions with 14 unique providers. To understand other areas where patients would be experiencing care and receiving health-related information, we also observed clinic waiting rooms and on-site outpatient pharmacies.

Four members of our team (M.A.D., H.I.S., P.R., L.P.M.) participated in shadowing of patients, caregivers, and care teams. The team met intermittently during the observation period to discuss insights and feedback received from stakeholders, patients, providers, and care teams. With that input, team members conducted additional interviews with patients, medical secretaries, nursing administrators and managers to gain additional perspective into the workflows of each during the patient journey, as well as patient needs commonly reported before and after the clinic visit.

Observations across the 4-member team were compiled into a shared file that became the foundation for analysis to triangulate the data based on observations, interviews, and varying team members. The notes were compiled and reviewed, and insights were grouped under the process step in which the insight was observed. Multiple entries of a similar point gave us confidence that we had achieved saturation in the data collection. Insights were then used to identify challenges across the journey based on a deep contextual knowledge that the team members have of the outpatient practice, with confirmation from practice providers throughout the synthesis process. Opportunities were created using human-centered design principles to identify system solutions for people, and each was assigned to 1 of 3 concepts that could be used to design the optimal patient experience.

During the study, 17,141 surveys were completed by patients who had a visit at any of the 10 clinical divisions in the Department of Medicine and provided authorization for participation in research. During the study time frame, the practices had an overall response rate of 14.5% (17,141 of 118,378). Approximately 44% of the surveys were completed online, and 56% were completed on paper. The mean ± SD age of survey respondents was 64.0±14.3 years, and 56% were female. Patient proxies completed 3.6% of returned surveys.

The Department of Medicine had high scores on patient experience surveys, with 95% of patients reporting very good satisfaction with their care. Patients reported very good levels of satisfaction for questions related to the care provider (94.7%), personal issues (94.4%), and the nurse/assistant (92.5%). Patients reported lower satisfaction for questions related to access (89.8%) and moving through the visit (85.5%). Of all 26 individual items, 7 survey questions had either strong (Spearman rank correlation coefficient = 0.60-0.79) or very strong (Spearman rank correlation coefficient = 0.80-1.00) correlation with patient overall rating of care across most individual specialty areas with sufficient sample size and the overall Department of Medicine. One specialty area had too few survey responses owing to low ambulatory clinical practice volumes (infectious diseases).

Gap analysis of received scores for these 7 survey items suggested that focusing on the following 3 survey items could affect up to 1 in 5 surveys completed across the Department of Medicine ( Table ):

• 1. Information the care provider gave you about medications (if any).
• 2. Instructions the care provider gave you about follow-up care (if any).
• 3. Explanations the care provider gave you about your problem or condition.

Responses to the Most Common Items Correlated With “Overall Rating of Care Received During Your Visit” and Calculated Proportion of Surveys With an Opportunity to Advance to "Very Good" Response Option

Results of the analytic phase 1 of this study were used to focus observations in phase 2. Through the observational work, we identified a variety of insights and associated challenges across the patient journey, which were used to extrapolate opportunities for care improvement ( Figure 1 ).

Patient journey map of opportunities to improve information delivered regarding medications, patient condition, and instructions for follow-up care in an ambulatory internal medicine practice. AVS = after-visit summary.

Further synthesis of data collected during the observations generated 3 concepts to be considered when designing an optimal patient experience ( Figure 2 ). Each opportunity identified during the observation and data synthesis mapped to at least 1 of 3 concepts: communication, expertise, and contact and connection. Communication describes the style and manner with which we interact with people. This applies to communication between providers and patients as well as among care team members. Expertise refers to the belief and desire by patients to be receiving medical advice from individuals viewed as skilled in their field. Finally, context and connection refers to the ability of the care team member to connect meaningfully with the patient/caregiver, to provide empathy and hope, and to understand the context of the patient’s life and medical situation.

Human-centered concepts to consider when designing an optimal patient experience.

In the present study, we described a partnering of quantitative and qualitative methods to advance patient experience in a large, ambulatory, internal medicine practice. We reported on how patient survey information routinely collected for clinical operations can be leveraged to focus quality improvement initiatives and how deep understanding through human-centered design approaches can identify insights and challenges in current clinical practice workflows and tools that can be leveraged to generate discrete quality improvement efforts and initiatives. Through these methods we determined that we could focus quality improvement efforts on how care teams deliver information and educate patients on medications, instructions for follow-up care, and explanations about patient problems and conditions. Through these human-centered design observations and synthesis, we found a variety of opportunities we could explore to design an optimum experience for patients, caregivers, and members of the care team, and a theoretical framework for considering communication, expertise, and contact and connection when designing interactions with patients. The main implication of these findings is that patient experience surveys can be leveraged to identify opportunities for practice change.

Patient experience measures via Press Ganey Medical Practice Surveys have been used to understand predictors of satisfaction with care, including patient physical function, 19 provider demographic characteristics, 20 and care delivery characteristics (communication 21 ). Research shows that providers feel ill-equipped to use patient-reported experience information to improve patient care. 22 Garnering an understanding of experience through journey mapping is a more recent development in methodology and application to health care. 17 The present study introduces (1) a set of methods to be considered to advance patient experience to help fill the gap between information collected and observed for clinical practice operations and (2) discrete quality improvement initiatives to facilitate high-quality, patient-centered care.

The model using communication and connection between patients and providers is not novel; these are 2 components of the patient-centered care framework recommended by the Institute of Medicine to improve health care. 4 The present findings support the literature that information sharing and communication between patients and providers is a key facilitator of patient experience. 23 The present work identified the importance of patient understanding of their health condition or diagnosis to be a key driver of overall patient experience, and a study of 500 patient/provider interactions indicated that the greatest discrepancy between patient and provider communication was regarding diagnosis and prognosis. 24 When patients and providers were in agreement about these discussions, patient-reported satisfaction with care was significantly higher, 24 confirming the importance of patient/provider communication related to health conditions or diagnoses.

Summarizing information for patients to take with them after a health care interaction has been studied in both hospital and ambulatory care settings. After-visit summaries have been extensively studied in the primary care literature. Many electronic health record (EHR) platforms provide out-of-the-box solutions for the summary of information after a patient encounter with a health care provider. Epic (Epic Systems Corp), one of the most widely used EHRs, deploys the after-visit summary for use in ambulatory care settings. Patients perceive the after-visit summary tool to have useful content, but they also note that they may require more explanation of confusing or contradicting information often found in these scripted documents. 25 The present thematic analysis showed us that patients have varying needs based on the context of their health and psychosocial condition. Research has found that patient needs vary based on health contexts of chronic illness vs acute medical situations, and longitudinal primary care vs specialty care. 26 , 27 Current solutions provided by EHR vendors may not meet the needs of patients, caregivers, or providers. 26 Health care providers have the opportunity to push the development of health care visit summaries tailored to patient learning styles, incorporating technological solutions such as audio and video to supplement printed materials.

Patient, caregiver, and care team interactions continue to evolve through electronic mediums, altering the way these individuals communicate and connect. Empathy, or the ability to connect with and share the feelings of another, has been correlated with measures of patient experience. 28 Characteristics of provider communication and overall provider rating from patient experience surveys are associated with degree of provider empathy, leading to the implementation of empathy training for provider staff at large academic medical centers. 28 The relationship between both provider empathy and communication and patient outcomes has shown mixed results in the literature, but links with these components of care and patient satisfaction continue to be reported. 23 Information provided about medications, problem or condition, and follow-up care were 3 areas identified in this study where improvements in visit interactions could positively impact patient satisfaction. A study of online medical forum users observed that 40% of patients sought online medical information due to dissatisfaction with their provider. 29 In that study, patients reported being less satisfied with the information they received after a visit to a specialist than to primary care. Patient-centered communication approaches and care coordination have been associated with lower rates of patients seeking supplemental electronic medical information, particularly among patients with lower levels of education. 30 Frameworks for facilitating empathy and person-centered care emphasize building relationships with patients and caregivers, providing care tailored to the patient, and being respectful of the patient's and caregiver’s time. 31

The increasing complexity of patient and caregiver needs compels us to leverage all members of the care team to their highest degree of licensure. The role of the nurse as a member of the care team has grown, in part fueled by the Institute of Medicine’s 2010 release of The Future of Nursing report. 32 A wealth of data support the importance of nurses in patient and caregiver education. Research has found that nurse-led education can support overall patient and caregiver well-being, 33 activation, 34 , 35 and knowledge retention. 34 Nurses also play a role in coaching patients and caregivers through self-care and instructions on disease management, 36 , 37 areas that the present study identified as distinct needs of patients to drive patient experience. However, the role of nurses in educational tasks may be limited due to increasing time spent in the non–patient-facing activities, such as EHR interaction. 38 Care models could evolve to expand the role of nursing in medication prescribing and education, 39 facilitating care redesign to incorporate all 3 components for an optimal care experience: communication, connection and context, and high-quality medical expertise.

The present study has several strengths. First, we used a mixed methods approach to help bridge the gap between findings from a broadly used survey instrument and the characteristics of individual patient situations and clinical practice areas. Second, we used a reliable measure of assessment for the patient experience data. Third, the qualitative component of the study allowed for in-depth assessment of interactions between patients and members of the care team. Fourth, the qualitative component allowed for fluidity in the research framework to adjust the observations and interviews as we gathered new information.

This study also has several limitations. First, the study was limited to 1 department at 1 site in Rochester, Minnesota, which may limit the generalizability of the findings. Second, we were unable to assess for the impact of nonresponse bias for the quantitative analysis due to the operational nature of the survey collection. Although we are unable to assess for nonresponse bias, the survey vendor does perform a simple random sample of patients who had a visit to the outpatient practices, allowing for all patients to have equal opportunity to receive and complete a Press Ganey Medical Practice Survey after their visit. Third, it can be difficult to maintain and demonstrate the rigor in the qualitative portion of the study due to the variability among observers and the fluidity of a qualitative-based approach. We do believe that despite this limitation, the present findings provide key insights into opportunities for quality improvement within a clinical episode of care.

Quality improvement in large medical practices can be difficult to focus and drive forward due to the multidisciplinary practice styles and the number of individuals involved in the experience of health care by the patient. 11 In addition, providers struggle with how best to translate patient-reported experiences into meaningful practice change. 22 A mixed methods approach to the analysis and observation of clinical care and business operations allows for the detection of areas with the highest potential effect for improvement when resources are constrained.

Grant Support: This study was funded by the Mayo Clinic Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery and Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science.

Potential Competing Interests: The authors report no competing interests.

Supplemental Online Material

Supplemental material can be found online at http://www.mcpiqojournal.org . Supplemental material attached to journal articles has not been edited, and the authors take responsibility for the accuracy of all data.

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3 Ways to Create a Streamlined Patient Intake Process & Meet Patient Expectations 

By Chloe From Clearwave | August 21, 2024

W hen it comes to ensuring patient satisfaction today, the experience you provide outside of the exam room is just as important as the care rendered. Your approach to patient intake and check-in is now more important than ever. Are you meeting patient expectations?    

Automating Clinical Intake to Gain an Advantage

High-growth practices are preventing these registration pitfalls and meeting patient demands with digital automated patient intake tools . With this approach, rather than having to arrive at their appointment 15-20 minutes early to fill out paper forms, patients have the option to pre-register and fill out all the necessary demographic and medical history information, including pre-screeners and consents, in advance of their visit – anywhere, at any time.  

Yet, not all digital registration solutions are one in the same. When digital tools aren’t user-friendly, are behind a password wall or require additional staff involvement — patient adoption and satisfaction drop. Additionally, when your patient self-registration tools aren’t being used efficiently, your practice also loses the added benefits of improved data capture and shorter way times. The results? Unhappy patients, increased data errors and claim rejections and overworked staff.  

Here are three ways you can ensure your digital tools truly speed up intake while meeting the demands of today’s patients and saving staff time!

1. Send customized appointment reminders. 

Consider the two main r easons for patient no-shows:  

• Memory: They simply don’t remember they have a visit scheduled. One report even found that 52% of patients who missed their appointments simply forgot.   
• Ease of access: Practices fail to provide an easy way for patients to modify their appointments as needed. When patients are forced to call the office to modify or cancel an appointment, practices are at a higher risk of no-shows.  

Appointment reminders are the go-to solution to avoid these challenges and streamline patient intake, yet without customization, patients may miss their valuable notification or see it as spam and ignore it! Considering practices use reminders to enable patients to pre-registration for their appointments, when patients don’t get the message, it removes a critical step in speeding up patient intake.  

Use a smart, customizable patient reminder tool to boost patient pre-registration rates and even customize message content to ensure the patient shows up at the ideal time.  

Additionally, a smart patient reminder tool will allow practices to choose the best notification type – text, voice, email or a mix – for different patient demographics. For example, many seniors prefer to receive reminders via phone while millennials typically opt for a text message or email. If your reminders aren’t sent in a way that patients want to be reached, they’ll go unread – leading to late arrivals that impact the check-in process, or no-shows that result in missed revenue for the practice.

2. Offer pre-check with clinical intake.

Smart patient reminder tools offer a third benefit: They allow you to include a link for patients to self-register and fill out all the necessary demographic and medical history information in advance of their visit – from the comfort of their own devices.  

Here’s how it works: 

• An appointment reminder is sent to patients via email or text.  
• A pre-check link is embedded within the message.  
• When patients click the link, they are prompted to complete pre-registration and clinical intake digitally.  
• The pre-check links are optimized with clear messaging that boosts patient completion rates.  
• When they arrive for their appointment, the check-in process is expedited and efficient, with minimal staff intervention.   

Patients can arrive closer to their appointment times, enhancing their experience and fostering loyalty. Additionally, relieving front-desk workers of manual data entry boosts employee satisfaction, benefiting both patients, staff and the practice! 

3. Provide self-service patient check-in kiosks.

Patients want ownership and control over their healthcare experiences. Giving them the ability to pre-register is a great way to deliver on these expectations. Complement this with self-service check-in to keep patients in the driver’s seat leading up to their appointment!  

High-growth practices are doing just this by implementing patient check-in kiosks that provide the option to self-check-in, so they don’t have to wait in lines at the office. If your practice leaders are wondering, what are the pros of self-service kiosks in healthcare? See how fast-growing practices are u sing self-service patient check-in kiosks to drop wait times by 90% and increase collections! They have even reduced the check-in time to less than two minutes!  

One practice CEO recently shared, “We decided to move forward with kiosks. I’ll tell you what, I would never turn back. It has saved so much time on the front desk staff.” Read this practice’s story to see how they created happier patients and staff while speeding up intake and increasing collections. You may be able to drive similar results.  

Medical office check-in kiosks also reduce manual paperwork, allowing patients to enter their information directly to expedite the process, improve data capture and reduce claim rejections. Additionally, by freeing up front desk staff from administrative tasks, check-in kiosks also optimize resource allocation, allowing for more personalized attention to patients. Last but not least, patients appreciate the convenience and control of self-service, resulting in improved satisfaction and engagement. It’s a win for all parties!  

Ready to Streamline Your Patient Intake Process?

A recent patient experience report found 79% of patients place a high importance on timeliness and wait times when deciding if they want to continue to see the same doctor. That same report also reveals 68% of patients considered a “fast check-in process” as important to their in-office experience. With statistics such as these, high-growth practices are taking action. You can follow their lead by digitizing the pre-registration and clinical intake process. Find all the ways you can use Clearwave to not just streamline clinical intake and improve patient retention and reviews in a multitude of ways.

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