“MaineHealth Listens” Informs Patient Experiences
The MaineHealth Listens Patient Community Hub, where patients can participate in surveys and discussions.
Launched in November 2021, MaineHealth Listens is an online community that enables patients to provide valuable insights and share opinions on topics related to their health care. With 4,000 participants from across the health system, this patient engagement platform supports patient-centered decision-making for the organization.
To date, MaineHealth Listens members have provided valuable insights by engaging in more than 30 activities through the platform. They have informed decisions regarding medical practice names, perceptions of the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccine hesitancy, visitor safety measures, easy billing options, online scheduling and more.
In late August 2022, a survey was conducted to inform the introduction and rollout of online scheduling in primary care practices. Online scheduling gives patients the ability to self-schedule appointments through their MyChart (a portal used to manage medical information) account at a time that is most convenient for them.
A sample question from an August 2022 survey about online scheduling.
A sample report on the feedback received from a patient survey. A majority of patients currently schedule appointments with their primary care provider by making a phone call.
The objective of the MaineHealth Listens survey was to learn about patients’ previous experiences with scheduling online appointments and gauge their understanding of primary care appointment types and definitions. Nearly 1,500 members participated in the survey, resulting in these key learnings:
60% of participants have not
used online scheduling to
make a medical appointment.
68% of participants would be interested
in using MaineHealth’s online scheduling
to make a primary care appointment.
59% of participants would find it useful
to view a description of visit types when
scheduling appointments online.
58% of participants reviewed the
primary care visit types and validated
understanding of the descriptions.
These results directly influenced the development of the MyChart online scheduling tool, supporting the adoption and utilization of this convenient self-service option for patients.
The MaineHealth Listens platform continues to engage patients with a feedback loop aligned to their needs, while improving patient experiences and allowing MaineHealth to provide the best health care for our communities.
To learn more, visit MaineHealth Listens
