Implementation Challenges

In recent years, the nation’s top public and private health organizations have devoted considerable resources to understanding the causes and impact of low health literacy, and consensus appears to have been reached. Raising awareness and encouraging simpler language are the first steps to combating this epidemic.

BESolutions has conducted extensive research into current "solutions" to the literacy epidemic, and although many are practical, it believes that most will fail to create measurable results in a timely fashion for two primary reasons, (a) poor risk management for physicians and their practices, and (b) an inherent resistance to change by patients and providers alike.

Consider the current scenario, where physicians have been encouraged to modify their communication styles and techniques in an effort to help patients understand their options and self-care instructions. Such initiatives fail to protect physicians from baseless malpractice suits that will likely follow if complications arise due to an over-simplification or omission of medical information. In these cases, physicians may find it difficult to defend their statements in a court of law, placing their careers and practices at risk.

For this strategy to be effective,

Physicians must adopt a communication style that is more attuned to the comfort levels of their patients;
Physicians must learn to provide information in a more "personalized" manner, to build rapport and trust with their patients;
Physicians must be willing to engage patients in an intimate dialogue where patients actually "teach back" what they've learned; and
These tasks must happen without negatively impacting or disrupting office efficiency or work-flow.

These efforts take time, and when combined with crowded waiting rooms, looming time constraints and increasing paperwork, the desired outcomes are unlikely. BESolutions understands this fact, and presents PHIERS as a viable and convenient alternative.

PHIERS will deliver a powerful, yet flexible solution that addresses all these needs in a scalable and cost-effective manner. Furthermore, PHIERS extends this capability beyond the Internet to address the informational needs of the underserved, who are often intimidated by or lack access to electronic information about health.