MGMA and Cedar Release Healthcare Technology Report to Help Medical Practices Improve Patient Engagement and Efficiency

ENGLEWOOD, Colo., Aug. 20, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- In partnership with Cedar, a leading patient payment and engagement platform, Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) is pleased to announce the release of the MGMA Research & Analysis Report: Optimization of Healthcare Technology to Improve Patient Engagement.

The research included in the report found the following technologies have had the most positive impact on the operations of healthcare organizations in recent years: patient portals, automated appointment reminder systems, check-in technologies, telehealth, digital payment options and data analytics.

This report comes at a point when increased patient consumerism encourages healthcare practices to enhance technological capabilities. Patients are engaged in their own care through mobile and online technology more than ever, yet an engaged digital consumer remains a top 10 challenge for healthcare executives. Providers can build closer relationships with patients when interactions such as portal messaging is utilized or filling out forms is digitized, freeing up more time for effective patient care. The report also points out that rising costs of healthcare, especially administrative costs, can also be mitigated with the use of appropriate technology.

"In order to truly prioritize the patient, delivering a more consumer-friendly experience must extend across the entire patient journey — from checking in for an appointment to the clinical encounter to bill payment. This personalization starts with data and technology," said Florian Otto, MD, co-founder and CEO of Cedar. "We collaborated on this report with MGMA to help guide hospitals, health systems and medical groups on ways they can enhance practice operations and the patient journey overall."

Among the report's key findings:

• Six technologies have profound impacts on both patient engagement and practice workflow: patient portals, automated appointment reminder systems, check-in technologies, telehealth, digital payment options and data analytics.
• 70% of healthcare leaders plan to adopt these technologies in 2019 to make their practices more efficient. Supporting data found in recent MGMA Stat poll
• Practice leaders can expedite technological improvements through five steps:
• Examine current environment to uncover opportunities for automation.
• Review existing technologies to determine how they address patient engagement challenges.
• Uncover best practices and learnings from peers.
• Identify the top three "easy wins" to pursue to achieve greater patient engagement through technology.
• Start the conversation among stakeholders and initiate change in a practice.

"In today's healthcare environment where practice workflow and patient experience are paramount, the use of technology is more instrumental than ever in helping providers enhance operations and overall patient care," said Halee Fischer-Wright, MD, MMM, FAAP, FACMPE, president and chief executive officer at MGMA. "Building a data platform utilizing technologies like patient portals, automated appointment reminder systems and digital payment options helps practices improve patient engagement and allows providers to focus on what they do best — care for people."

The report was sponsored by Cedar. To learn more about Cedar, visit www.cedar.com.

Research Methodology
Questions for the online survey and qualitative interviews were developed by MGMA. The target population was healthcare leaders who had implemented a patient-focused technology in the last five years. The survey launched on Nov. 19, 2018 and closed on Nov. 30, 2018. Participants for the interviews were selected from respondents to MGMA 2018 Exploratory Survey on Healthcare Technology, some were recommendations from MGMA's subject matter expert team and the remainder were selected based on their presence in the media or on their successes in the industry. The qualitative interviews were conducted from December 2018 to January 2019 by MGMA's research and editorial teams over the phone or in person.

About Cedar
Cedar is a patient payment and engagement platform for hospitals, health systems and medical groups that elevates the total patient experience beyond clinical care. The platform leverages advanced data science and smart segmentation to deliver modern intelligence and simplify the healthcare experience for patients. To learn more, visit www.cedar.com

About MGMA
Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) is the premier association for professionals who lead medical practice. Since 1926, through data, people, insights, and advocacy, MGMA empowers medical group practices to innovate and create meaningful change in healthcare. With a membership of more than 45,000 medical practice administrators, executives, and leaders, MGMA represents more than 12,500 organizations of all sizes, types, structures and specialties that deliver almost half of the healthcare in the United States. www.mgma.com

Media Contact: 
Bethany Hale, Head of Marketing, Cedar
[email protected] 
929.276.4389 (Cell)

Hollon Kohtz, Assistant Director of Public Relations
[email protected]
877.275.6462 x1209
317.847.5658 (Cell)

SOURCE Medical Group Management Association (MGMA)