With the need to advance current healthcare delivery and operations, agencies within the Federal Healthcare industry are implementing a Human Centered Design (HCD) approach to their problem solving strategies. The HCD philosophy focuses on the perspective of the individuals who are experiencing a specific problem and evaluates their needs in order to implement an effective solution that provides a better experience. Unlike other problem solving techniques, HCD requires the inclusion of the individuals who are facing difficulties to be a part of the solution prototyping.
Within the federal health care system, the HCD approach will provide clinical and administrative healthcare solutions that improve the user experience (UX) and ultimately advance the patient experience. This progressive patient-centric approach is being embraced at the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Defense Health Agency (DHA).
How Does HCD Work?
This research-based approach has been used within the private healthcare sector for several years under a variety of other names, such as human-computer interactions. Despite the variety of name changes, the principal remains the same. HCD prioritizes the user and their needs. For the implementation to be successful, critical research must first be conducted. Identifying users and clarifying their behaviors allows the issues they are experiencing to be fully understood.
When implemented properly, the HCD approach can provide data-driven solutions, promote growth and drive engagement. The proposed solutions that are reached using HCD can resonate deeper with the user because their issues were solved with a solution that was designed with the user, not just for the user. Streamlining a complicated process within the ever-changing healthcare industry is key to provoking genuine user satisfaction and improving the overall user experience.
What if HCD is Not Implemented Properly?
When the user’s needs are not properly understood, adoption of new systems and services are low because the core issues have not been resolved and catch-all solutions have been implemented instead. This improper implementation can lead to not only high frustration, but also an excessive amount of wasted time, money and internal resources.
Even though the HCD approach requires a significant amount of shift in external user perspective, the payoff is substantial in the end. With HCD, assumptions based on issues can be clarified, strategies can be adjusted and pivots to system changes can be made much sooner in the development process to foster an effective solution for users.
Signature Performance Believes in Experience
Even though the HCD approach may be a new way of thinking for some, practicing and living this intuitive approach is a realm Signature Performance has been cultivating since our inception in 2004.
At Signature, our team has always approached experience as an aid to a solution. When you combine a premier experience with boundless enthusiasm for engagement, Associate and partner expectations are not just met, they are exceeded. It is our vision to not only deliver actionable solutions that enhance the healthcare industry, but to also provide an experience along the way that the industry has never seen before. Our unmatched experience on both the payer and provider side of the business allows our team the opportunity to evaluate industry issues from a variety of perspectives and create custom solutions that get to the core of the problem.
This participatory, HCD driven approach is the way the Federal sector is currently progressing, and Signature’s business approach and philosophy makes us a natural fit to develop effective partnerships. Signature has been a key partner in the end-to-end electronic health record (EHR) transformation. With user experience always in mind, we have been able to provide a deep understanding of the DHA and VHA end users to stakeholders at all levels to help deliver a seamless workflow design. The focus of our latest EHR project was to assess consumer needs and experiences on the front end to help drive design decisions and business process transformation across the clinical, operational, and financial platforms.
At Signature, we are dedicated to making a lasting impact and investing in the success of our Associates and clients. We gauge our success by your success and are only satisfied when you are satisfied. Contact our team today or follow along on our Facebook page to learn more about Signature Performance’s vision.