How Patient-Centered Technology Can Increase Understanding and Improve Outcomes

The majority of patients never went to medical school. And the majority of patients are visiting their doctor during a time of stress when they or someone they love are suffering from health problems. Neither of those factors is conducive to deciphering the complicated medical language and concepts necessary to navigate the healthcare system, and that lack of understanding can lead to anxiety, avoidance, and poor outcomes.

DeliverHealth’s Patient Simplifier app does what the name implies: It simplifies medical language to help anyone, regardless of their level of medical literacy, understand their medical information. Using the power of AI and large language models (LLMs), the technology turns medical jargon into understandable language, helping patients and their families become confident participants in their own medical care and helping doctors provide more effective, patient-centered care.

Health Information, Simplified

Understanding information makes a difference for patients in or out of the exam room. A study in PLOS One found that one week after an outpatient visit, 36% of patients remembered decisions and recommendations with prompting, and 15% didn’t remember them at all, with results correlating to education levels. 

Patient Simplifier’s use of AI technology makes understanding complex medical information as easy as reading a text message. Patients merely have to upload a medical document, or even take a picture of it with their smartphone, and the app translates the image into simplified, digestible content, making it easy to understand without sacrificing accuracy.

The cutting-edge AI that drives Patient Simplifier allows it to enhance every aspect of health literacy.

• Instant translations. Courtesy of an LLM, patients can snap a photo of    any medical document and receive explanations in plain English or their preferred language. This allows non-native speakers to effortlessly access and understand their health information.
• Adaptive complexity. The app can be adjusted to suit the user’s level of understanding, whether they need a simple overview or a detailed explanation.
• Engaging explanations. Even pediatric patients can benefit from Patient Simplifier’s clarifications, which can use metaphors to make medical conditions more relatable and less scary — white blood cells become superheroes fighting diseases, for instance, helping children grasp their health situation.

Users of Patient Simplifier can save the app’s simplified summaries to revisit in the future, allowing them to view their healthcare information in context and refer back to the treatment plan recommended by their doctor. In and out of the exam room, they can have access to their medical information in an easy-to-understand format. 

Better Understanding = Better Adherence

The functionality of Patient Simplifier doesn’t only benefit patients — healthcare providers benefit as well. As medical professionals, they’re both personally invested in their patients’ health and professionally evaluated based on outcomes and metrics. When a patient returns with a condition that hasn’t improved — or has worsened — physicians are often frustrated to find their treatment plan hasn’t been followed.

When a patient doesn’t follow a treatment plan, it usually isn’t intentional — a lack of understanding is frequently at the root of nonadherence. A patient who doesn’t understand their condition is less likely to adhere to their treatment plan, and a patient who doesn’t understand their treatment plan isn’t always confident enough to say so. When a doctor asks, “Any questions?” their patient might not have enough medical literacy to know what questions to ask.

That kind of confusion can be costly, in terms of finances and of patient health. Across the country, hospitals see 600 readmissions per day simply due to misunderstandings at discharge. On average, 15% of patients are readmitted within 30 days, translating to nearly 274,000 additional hospital stays — and that rate rises to nearly 20% among Medicare patients. A lack of understanding can easily land a discharged patient back in the hospital.

Patient Simplifier addresses this problem by overcoming many of the barriers to treatment adherence. Patients can better understand the seriousness of their condition, the reasons for the treatments chosen, and the potential ramifications of failing to adhere to their plan. Physicians can be confident that, despite any language barriers, their patient understands what’s happening and why they need to act.

Miscommunication is Costing Healthcare Millions

The impact of those misunderstandings, miscommunication, and adherence struggles can be felt across the entire healthcare system. Avoidable medical complications cost the system an average of $1.3 billion per year. And that’s in addition to other sources of waste that are potential sources of savings from clearer, more effective patient communication.

• Fewer patient calls to support centers: $200,000 to $500,000 per year
• Fewer readmissions: $50,000 to $200,000 per year
• Improved staff efficiency: $100,000 to $250,000 per year
• Fewer no-shows: $150,000 to $300,000 per year
• Increased patient satisfaction and reimbursement:
       $100,000 to $300,000 per year
• Lower risk of malpractice claims: $50,000 to $200,000 per year

As much as $1.75 million is wasted every year on issues as minor as support center calls that didn’t need to be made and appointments that didn’t need to be missed, and as major as malpractice claims that didn’t need to be filed. An app that reduces miscommunication and gives patients a clearer view of their medical information could mean millions of hours and dollars redirected to other patients in need. 

A Clearer Future for Patient Communication

Patient Simplifier helps eliminate language barriers, using cutting-edge AI to cut through the jargon that creates exasperating impediments to effective patient care. With truly patient-centric healthcare software, designed around the needs and literacy levels of the average user, patients understand what’s expected of them, and healthcare centers avoid unnecessary readmissions and problem amplifications, leading to more positive outcomes for all involved.

Ready to Simplify Healthcare for Your Patients?

To learn about how Patient Simplifier can turn the complex language of healthcare into easy-to-understand guidance for your patients, visit https://ai.deliverhealth.com/patient-simplifier.