In this episode

Bill Citro, Sr. Digital Experience Analyst at OrthoNebraska, explores how digital transformation is reshaping patient care. OrthoNebraska, a specialty healthcare system focused on orthopedics, emphasizes their differentiation through speed, ease, and quality of care, with a strong commitment to delivering an exceptional patient experience while maintaining operational efficiency. Bill shares insights on creating a seamless, high-speed orthopedic experience, the power of patient-centered innovation, and the impact of technology like Luma on reducing no-shows and improving access.

“The continuum of care is this big buzzword in healthcare. [But] it’s about starting before they walk through the door, creating that digital experience all the way through when they pay their bill.”

– Bill Citro

 

Key takeaways

Speed and convenience matter to patients.

Citro emphasized that speed and convenience influence not just OrthoNebraska’s marketing or digital initiatives, but also the way the organization delivers care. OrthoNebraska has dramatically reduced wait times for imaging and appointments, cutting what typically takes over a month at other providers down to just two to three weeks.

“We have to win the patient every time [they need care],” Citro said. “For new patients, we’re really trying to lead with [how] we’re easy to get into. [We emphasize] ease and speed. Even in our branding, we try to communicate that. Simplicity, ease, and speed allow us to differentiate in the market.”

Once the patient has begun their care journey, OrthoNebraska has designed services to avoid back-and-forth and lag times that patients might commonly experience in orthopedic care.

“A lot of our value is the services [we provide like] physical therapy or imaging. [A common] struggle is turnaround times to get things to imaging and then back into clinic and to know what to do about it. We’re fifty percent faster than our competitors in the market [because of how] we’re set up where we have a clinic site and a hospital all together, all focused just on orthopedics. So, think of us as as an orthopedic little little mini orthopedic health center,” Citro said.

Design your patient experience using data, including direct patient feedback.

“I feel like I have a a very strongly internalized sense of what patients value,” Citro said. “I really don’t believe in hiring research firms [to collect patient feedback]. I like getting my boots on the ground and talking to people, talking to our patients, so I can understand what’s really happening at the ground level. If I’m rolling out some new software or project, I don’t just say ‘Access staff, tell me how it’s going.'”

This experience influences how Citro thinks about the patient portal. “From a technology perspective, they’re designed to be closed and locked down…locked-down pieces are hindrances when we’re trying to have a digital front door.” Citro said that when patient self-scheduling was available only in the portal, “I think we had nine patients using it in a month.” Citro pointed out that a true digital front door needs to be more accessible, without a barrier to entry especially for new patients.

Citro also looks at the impact of patient experience improvements on how patients are accessing care.

“Most healthcare organizations really underestimate the impact that moving to using a primarily SMS communication methodology is going to have on the their their operational metrics, Citro said. “They think, ‘Our younger patients will like [texting], and we’ll get more younger patients.’ They do it as more of a marketing thing. And what we’ve seen is that that that’s that’s not really true. Where you see that really come through is in no-show rates. A that helps us be so much more efficient, in clinic when we have we don’t have those unexpected holes in our schedule.”