Readers Write: Access to Care Isn’t Just Technology, It’s Human Connection

Access to Care Isn’t Just Technology, It’s Human Connection
By Cheryl Dalton-Norman

Cheryl Dalton-Norman, RN, MBA is president and co-founder of Conduit Health Partners.

Every year, a new priority dominates conversations among hospital C-suites. The current buzz phrase is “access to care.” It’s certainly a priority that all stakeholders can rally around. While technology will be front and center as a critical enabler of better access, it must be paired with something just as critical: real human connection.

As healthcare leaders, we don’t just shape patient care, we experience it ourselves. I was reminded of this all too clearly during a recent family medical crisis.

It was a Saturday at 3 p.m. My father-in-law was in pain. His wound looked worse, and a rash had developed. None of these issues were new, but my mother-in-law was exhausted, my husband was worried, and our only option was an emergency room visit, one that would drain my father-in-law even further and send us down an all-too-familiar path. The cycle was grueling: hospital, rehab, ER, hospital, assisted living, ER, hospital, skilled nursing, assisted living, ER. Again and again.

Many healthcare organizations are making significant strides in using technology to improve access. That’s important. But at that moment, what I needed wasn’t just technology. I needed someone to talk to me. Someone who could listen, review my father-in-law’s medical record, understand where we were in the process, and help determine the best next step. That resource wasn’t available, so the cycle of fear, fatigue, and poor outcomes continued.

I’ve spent my entire career in healthcare, from bedside nursing to administrative leadership. Yet even with my experience, my own family struggled to navigate a system that too often leaves patients and caregivers feeling lost.

Access means different things to different people. For me, it’s knowing that when someone reaches out for help, whether at 3 p.m. on a Saturday or 2 a.m. on a Tuesday, they aren’t met with barriers, but with immediate connection.

This is why nurse triage is a vital first touch point for ensuring timely, appropriate patient access. The reality is that all healthcare settings are ripe for after-hours nurse triage services that can be used as a backend and backup clinical resource. These models work by ensuring 24/7 access to a registered nurse who listens, assesses the situation, and provides guidance using best-practice protocols. This way, patients avoid unnecessary ER visits while still ensuring they get the right care. More than that, that human touch point provides peace of mind, continuity, and true access to care.

While some healthcare work is easy to quantify, some is mission driven. It has value for communities, but might be difficult to define in dollars and cents. It’s one thing to do the math on a value proposition for healthcare revenue cycle. For example, “Here’s how much we collect on average. Here’s our rate of point-of-service collections year over year.” 

How do you measure the value of building trust and connection with patients? How do you capture improved access to care for underserved or rural populations from a telephone call after hours? These are new ways of looking at value, and the value proposition of nurse triage to the patient and clinician experience is just as important as the number of avoided ED visits. 

Additionally, the clinician mass exodus from healthcare continues at alarming rates. From nursing teams to ED staff and emergency medical services workers, health care professionals are overburdened and overextended. Alleviating even some of this burden would make a difference, especially when it comes to 24/7, 365-day coverage.

Health systems, FQHCs, medical groups, and payers need solutions, not buzzwords. We must commit to better patient outcomes while supporting caregivers and ensuring no one has to navigate the system alone.