For the first time in its history, AdventHealth has created a chief consumer officer role to revolutionize the experience of the more than 6 million consumers it serves each year. But what is a chief consumer officer and what kind of changes will they help bring?
This interview with Tricia Edris, chief consumer officer for AdventHealth, will shed some light on how the organization is making bold moves to prioritize the consumer experience.
First of all, what is a chief consumer officer and what do they do?
Chief consumer officers are focused on the consumer experience at every touchpoint. They have become more common in consumer-centric companies like Marriot, Walmart and Netflix, but if you look at health care systems, they’re a bit of a rarity.
For our organization, I am interested in every consumer’s experience, regardless of whether they are a patient. We use data and insights to become more aware of what consumers need and expect, and apply this knowledge to transform and bring new offerings that ensure all consumer needs are addressed, resulting in a positive and personalized experience.
What does that look like in the health care environment?
Imagine being able to book an appointment with your physician as easily as you can buy an airline ticket. How great would it be to not have to reiterate your health issues and concerns to multiple providers during an appointment? What if your health care system knew you so well that it could personalize your experience, from your language and dietary preferences, to the type of follow up care you may need?
Through our research, we have discovered so much power in developing relationships with individual consumers, especially when it comes to health. Consumers engaging health care services have been forced into settling for a transaction. What they want is a relationship, so this is a key focus for our team moving forward.
What do you mean by that? That people want relationships in health care and not a transaction?
A relationship means we will always know our consumers and where they are on their individual health care journey, before they come into our doors, scheduling a follow-up appointment – actively working with them to meet their health goals and proactively checking in on them in a new and personal ways.
We really want to move away from episodes of care – where a patient comes in, receives care and then leaves – to offering consumers a lifelong program where we act as a trusted and caring guide throughout their journey. I’m incredibly excited for the groundwork we are laying in this space and for what’s to come.
What makes this relationship so powerful?
We have sophisticated tools and insights that help us understand the needs and expectations of consumers. This allows us to be more responsive, effective and efficient in helping consumers get exactly what they need and expect.
At AdventHealth, we believe in caring for the whole person. If we can provide this care in a proactive, convenient, personalized and accessible way, we believe it can actually reduce the health care needs of our consumers and make our communities healthier.
What did you do before you came to AdventHealth?
Actually, there has never been a “before AdventHealth.” I’ve been working here since I was 15 years old. I started working part-time, and I’ve been here ever since. AdventHealth is a special place to me. It’s where my kids were born and where I met my husband. But over the years, what’s kept me at AdventHealth is the people. The spirit of the people who work here is amazing.
I’ve had the honor and privilege in taking part in and helping to lead the organization’s growth and development. Thanks to that, it’s given me intimate knowledge of how clinical areas operate and an objective point of view of how it can continue to evolve to be even more consumer centric.
How will you accomplish this work?
I have a dynamic team made up of several experts in fields that include consumer research, product development, digital technology, operations and business planning. We have many longtime AdventHealth team members who each have a wide background of health care experience – all with a special connection to our mission. We’re all different parts of one body, and it takes each of us, working together toward a united vision, to be successful. This is a key differentiator that our work will rely on, as our team across our system live out our service standards, provide whole-person care and deliver on our brand promise of feel whole.