12 Patient Engagement Metrics Healthcare Providers Must Monitor
By tracking patient engagement metrics, healthcare organizations can improve patient satisfaction, deliver better patient outcomes, and optimize financial performance.
In this article, you will discover 12 patient engagement metrics to track – and why they matter. You will also learn how to leverage analytics dashboards to track them efficiently for better-informed decision-making.
What are patient engagement metrics?
Patient engagement metrics are measures used to assess how actively involved patients are in their own healthcare.
These metrics enable healthcare organizations to gain insights into patient behaviors, satisfaction, and outcomes and understand how well they are engaging patients throughout their healthcare journey. These are crucial for improving patient-centered care.
Why is it important to track patient engagement key performance indicators?
Measuring patient engagement KPIs is important for several reasons.
- Improving patient outcomes: Engaged patients are more likely to stick to treatment plans, attend follow-up appointments, and manage their health effectively, which leads to better health outcomes.
- Enhancing patient satisfaction: Tracking patient engagement KPIs helps you understand patients’ needs and experiences. By addressing areas of dissatisfaction and improving patient experience, you can improve patient satisfaction.
- Identifying barriers to care: Patient engagement metrics can reveal barriers that patients face in accessing care, such as transportation issues or lack of health literacy.
- Promoting data-driven decision-making: By analyzing patient engagement data, you can make informed decisions about where to allocate resources or which interventions to choose.
- Enhancing operational efficiency: Understanding patient engagement patterns helps in streamlining operations, reducing missed appointments, and improving the efficiency of healthcare delivery processes.
- Benchmarking performance: Measuring patient engagement enables you to compare your performance to competitors. You can use insights from reports like Userpilot’s SaaS Product Metrics 2024 Benchmark Report.
12 metrics to measure patient engagement in healthcare organizations
Now that you know how vital tracking patient engagement is for your healthcare organization, let’s look at the metrics to track.
1. Patient activation measure
Patient activation measure (PAM) assesses how well patients can manage their own health and healthcare.
It’s calculated based on a questionnaire that categorizes patients into different levels of activation based on their responses.
Higher patient activation levels are associated with better health outcomes, lower healthcare costs, and improved patient satisfaction. That’s because activated patients are more proactive in their health management.
It also helps healthcare services identify patients who may need additional support and tailor it to improve engagement and self-management.
2. Patient portal adoption
Patient portal adoption measures the percentage of patients who actively use the patient portal to manage their healthcare. For example, by accessing medical records, scheduling appointments, or communicating with healthcare providers.
High portal adoption rates indicate that patients are engaged with their healthcare and using digital tools to stay informed and connected. Streamlined communication and access to information often lead to more efficient healthcare delivery.
To calculate it, divide the number of active portal users by the total number of patients and multiply by 100.
3. Appointment booking rate
The appointment booking rate measures the percentage of patients who successfully book appointments – out of those who try to do so.
This metric reflects the efficiency and accessibility of the appointment scheduling process. High booking rates indicate that patients find it easy to schedule appointments, which increases access to healthcare and improves system efficiency.
To calculate it, divide the number of booked appointments by the total number of booking attempts and multiply it by 100.
4. Follow-up appointment rate
The follow-up appointment rate measures the percentage of patients who attend scheduled follow-up appointments after their initial visit.
Tracking this metric is essential because it indicates how well patients are following the recommended care plans and continuing their treatment. High follow-up rates suggest that patients are engaged in their ongoing care, which is linked to better health outcomes and reduced readmission rates.
Calculate it by dividing the number of follow-up appointments attended by the number of follow-up appointments scheduled and multiplying by 100.
5. Readmission rates
Readmission rate is the percentage of patients who are readmitted to a hospital within a specific period after discharge, say 30 days.
High readmission rates can indicate problems with the quality of care, discharge planning, or low patient engagement in their own treatment.
Analyzing readmission rates helps healthcare professionals identify the causes of readmissions and help patients stick to their healthcare plans to enhance overall patient care and safety, and ultimately reduce healthcare costs.
To calculate it, divide the number of readmissions by the total number of discharges and multiply it by 100.
6. Patient retention rate
The patient retention rate refers to the percentage of patients who continue using a healthcare service over a specific period.
High retention rates indicate patient satisfaction, trust, and loyalty to the healthcare provider. By tracking patient retention, you can better understand patient loyalty, identify factors contributing to patient satisfaction, and develop retention strategies.
Calculate the metric by deducting the number of new patients acquired within a specific timeframe from the total patient count at the end of the period. Then, divide it by the total number of patients at the beginning of the period and multiply it by 100.
7. Patient churn rate
The patient churn rate is the proportion of patients who stop using a healthcare provider’s services in a given period.
A high churn rate may indicate underlying issues with patient satisfaction, quality of care, or service delivery. Understanding why patients leave helps healthcare organizations identify areas for improvement, implement strategies to reduce churn, and enhance patient loyalty and retention.
How to calculate it? Divide the number of patients lost by the total number of patients at the beginning of the period and multiply it by 100.
8. Patient satisfaction scores
Patient satisfaction scores measure patients’ overall satisfaction with their healthcare experiences, such as provider interactions, communication, and care quality.
You normally obtain these scores through patient satisfaction surveys. To calculate it, divide the number of satisfied patients by the total number of respondents and multiply by 100.
The surveys provide direct feedback on the patient experience. High satisfaction scores indicate positive patient experiences, often linked to better patient retention, increased loyalty, and improved health outcomes.
9. Patient feedback response rate
The patient feedback response rate is the percentage of patients who provide feedback, for example, by taking part in a survey.
A high response rate indicates that patients are engaged and willing to share their experiences and suggestions for improvement. And trust you will act on them.
Tracking feedback response rates helps healthcare providers gauge the effectiveness of their feedback collection methods and determine how much they can trust the results. If the response rate is low, the results could be biased.
10. Number of patient touchpoints/interactions
The number of patient touchpoints/interactions measures how often patients interact with the healthcare provider across various channels, including in-person visits, phone calls, emails, and portal messages.
Tracking this metric provides valuable insights into patient engagement and communication patterns.
A higher number of touchpoints can indicate proactive patient involvement and effective communication. Understanding the frequency and nature of these interactions helps healthcare organizations optimize their engagement strategies and improve the patient experience.
11. Patient lifetime value
Patient lifetime value (PLV) measures the total revenue a healthcare provider can expect to earn from a patient over the entire relationship duration.
PLV is calculated by estimating the average revenue per patient visit, multiplying by the average number of visits per year, and then multiplying by the average duration of the patient-provider relationship in years.
Tracking PLV gives healthcare providers insights into their long-term financial health and enables effective budgeting. It can also inform marketing strategies and facilitate resource allocation to enhance patient retention and maximize revenue.
12. Patient loyalty index
The patient loyalty index (PLI) measures patients’ loyalty to a healthcare provider based on factors such as NPS and number of interactions.
A high PLI indicates strong patient-provider relationships, which is essential for keeping patients engaged, improving retention, and driving new patient acquisition through positive word-of-mouth referrals.
How to use dashboards to monitor patient engagement metrics?
Userpilot is a product growth platform with advanced product analytics. Healthcare providers can use it to track and analyze patient interactions with patient portals to improve their adoption and foster data-led cultures.
One of Userpilot’s stand-out features is its custom analytics dashboards.
They allow you to track up to 30 metrics in one place. So that you get a comprehensive view of patient engagement without switching between tools or reports.
The dashboards are fully customizable: you can move the widgets around and adjust their size using the drag-and-drop interface.
Conclusion
Tracking patient engagement metrics enables healthcare organizations to understand how they interact with their service, what they’re satisfied with, and what causes them difficulties. On a high level, it enables them to optimize the healthcare provision and improve patient health outcomes.
If you’d like to learn how Userpilot can help you track and analyze patient engagement with healthcare portals, book the demo!
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