Digital Front Door Planning and Design

ECG worked with UWM, the only comprehensive clinical, research, and learning health system in the five-state WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho) region, to develop a comprehensive business plan. The plan included a three-year roadmap with pro forma budget that aligned with the organization’s broader digital health imperatives.

As part of this work, ECG identified the operational and technology enablers, prioritized functional capabilities, and established the organizational infrastructure and governance model to address overarching challenges and opportunities. As follow-up support, ECG and UWM have identified targeted areas for support, including referral management work led by our access experts.

ECG was engaged by UWM to develop a digital front door strategy that aligns with the organization’s broader strategic imperatives. 

UWM has limited capabilities around digital patient engagement but serves a tech-savvy consumer population and is in a market with competitors that are technologically further ahead. The risks of continuing the status quo include a fragmented digital presence, inconsistent consumer experiences, sustained system inefficiencies, and the potential to lose market share.

Overarching Strategic Imperatives:

• Innovative health services
• Patient-centric
• Workplace of excellence
• Enhanced value proposition

Select Goals:

• Provide a frictionless experience for patients and their families, when and how they prefer. 
• Differentiate and position UWM as a destination for reliable health information and world-class care. 
• Increase stakeholder engagement in the planning and monitoring of healthcare services. 
• Strengthen the brand. 
• Focus on equitable access to meet the diverse needs of UWM’s patient population. 
• Transform clinical and operational activities to enhance patient-centered care and engagement.

The planning process utilized consumer-centered design concepts to align priorities at the intersection of UWM’s business goals, patient/consumer needs, and functional and technical capabilities. Consumer personas were developed to illustrate the needs of different population segments and compare how potential capabilities would meet these needs. The digital front door business plan included:

• Financial impact and return on investment.
• Visioning and consumer needs identification.
• Prioritized capabilities and three-year roadmap.
• Operational infrastructure and governance. 
• Supporting technologies.

A digital front door applies virtual tools and data integration to facilitate seamless access and touch points throughout the patient care journey. The end goal was to facilitate an omnichannel approach that offers patients a choice in how they communicate with the health system and ensures equitable access for all patients. 

A robust and integrated technology stack is required to support the functional capabilities that were prioritized and create seamless experiences. The core technology stack to facilitate these capabilities includes the following:

• EHR: Clinical record, scheduling, referrals, and messaging
• CRM: Consumer profile, knowledge base, data, and analytics
• Provider/location directory: Single source of truth
• Patient engagement platforms: Omnichannel solutions

ECG recommended a core EHR-first, but not EHR-only, approach to maximize existing investments, drive adoption, and improve sustainability. We collaborated with internal stakeholders to develop a three-year roadmap of key initiatives to realize the vision of seamless, consistent, and frictionless experiences for patients, families, referring providers, and care teams.

Historically, digital initiatives were carried out in silos across UWM. A dedicated digital health organization structure was proposed to own and lead initiatives related to consumer engagement and virtual care delivery and drive accountability for improving digital health capabilities. It is anticipated that the plan will yield positive returns on the organization’s strategy. 

In addition to supporting an enhanced consumer experience, the benefits through increased efficiency, revenue enhancement, and cost reduction are anticipated to offset the investment over a three-year period.