That’s right. You have an option to register for live, online access to a number of the sessions at Medicine X through Medicine X’s Global Access Program, September 5-7th. It won’t give you access to the breakouts, but you will get access to the conference plenary proceedings, live photos and other updates to your phone, tablet or computer.  And did I mention, it’s free? Stanford’s Medicine X conference is everything I love about what’s changing in healthcare.  It is an inclusive conference specifically designed to encourage participation and interaction.  There’s a real revolution happening in healthcare. There’s a growing focus on patient experience, and social and online platforms are now being heralded as legitimate ways to empower patients. The best part? This revolution is being driven by physicians and patients, together.  I’m registered, and I think you should too!

If I haven’t given you enough reason to register, let me give you two more:

1. The IDEO workshop.  Ok, so you can’t access this via the Global Access Program, but still.  It’s IDEO, one of the most innovative, interesting and coolest companies around. If they think this conference is important to be a part of, then you should too! (Yes, I still have a crush on IDEO.)
2. The Mascot. Medicine X has a mascot named is Zoe Chu.  She’s a French Bulldog who has a twitter page and leads walk & talk sessions at Medicine X.  Given that this blog is named PUGTATO, I need say no more. Smooshy faced dogs can teach us so much.

I’ve been talking patient experience and being your own healthcare advocate for as long as I can remember.  People used to look at me like I was crazy. “Liz, patients will just do what their doctor says,”  or “Liz, that’s just the way it is,” or “Oh, we could never do that here.”  These were all too familiar sayings I used to hear, everyday.  All that is changing as providers, industry and patients are now seeking ways to work together to improve the delivery of healthcare. Don’t get me wrong.  There’s a lot of work to do.  Patient-centered healthcare design and use of interactive technology are still not standard of care. Conferences like Medicine X hope to change this.

“Providers, industry, and patients are now seeking ways to work together to improve the delivery of healthcare.”

Improving patient experience is good for patients and it’s good for business.  When patients perceive the quality of their care to be high, they are more likely to use additional services offered by a providing institution/provider and they are more  likely to remain loyal to their provider, coming back year after year.  What may seem like a “soft” measurement, patient experience scores can truly generate revenue and profits.  In one study of 82 hospitals, a 1% standard deviation increase in perceived patient quality scores resulted in a 2% margin increase.  In fact, a 2013 benchmarking report by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) showed that practices that achieved “better-performing” status surveyed their patients and surveyed them more frequently.  I am also going to also infer from this statement that “better-performing” practices took it a step further, and not only surveyed their patients, but acted  on the results.  As you may remember, one of my biggest pet-peeves is asking for feedback but not acting on the results! Additionally, almost 10% of these “better-performing” practices tied some portion of physician compensation to patient experience.

I hope you take advantage of this opportunity to register for Medicine X’s Global Access Program.  Participation is what drives change.  We are all responsible to make it happen, and together we can.  If you log in- let me know!  Tell me what you liked and what you want to hear more about!

Want more? Check out these posts:

• How you can use Patient Satisfaction Surveys to Improve Performance. (The Profitable Practice)
• Patient-Centered Practices: What Makes them Different? (MGMA)
• Are you there pharma? It’s me, Liz. Part One: Listening and Acting (pugtato)
• Are you there pharma? It’s me, Liz. Part Two: What’s killing creativity in Big Pharma Sales Forces? (pugtato)
• Are you there pharma? It’s me, Liz. Part Three: Making Real Change in 2013. (pugtato)
• Who would work for Myriad Genetics? (pugtato)
• Getting Patient Experience Right. (pugtato)
• Compliant Health Care Social Media Strategies (pugtato)