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Introduction: The following SHSMD podcast is a production of Dr. Podcasting.com.

Bill Klaproth: On this episode of the SHSMD podcast brought to you by Gozio Health, innovative health systems are transforming their digital strategies to enhance their communication and operational infrastructure. So let's talk with Joshua Titus, CEO and founder of Gozio Health. About the importance of having a digital front door mobile strategy. Got to have a front door, got to let the people in. Let's talk about that right now. This is the SHSMD Podcast, Rapid Insights for Healthcare Strategy Professionals in Planning, Business Development, Marketing, Communications, and Public Relations. I'm your host Bill Klaproth. And on this episode, we're going to talk with Joshua Titus, CEO and founder of Gozio health, about the benefits of real-time mobile engagement in healthcare today. Joshua, welcome to the SHSMD Podcast. As you know, we start every episode of the SHSMD Podcast with rapid insights. One quick tip, someone can use to make their marketing communications better today, Joshua, give us your rapid insight.

Joshua Titus: If I think of something that I see pretty commonly mistake that's made when we go into a client initially, is they have done something in the digital space or mobile that seemed really cool. They can do it. It's technically possible to do it. And that was all the qualification they needed and during the day, no one uses it. So I think my cautionary tale here would be make sure that what you're thinking of, even though it's possible technically, actually helps the individual practically. Qualify hard those things that you do, not just because they are possible because they're useful.

Host: And that is your rapid insight. It just seems to make sense, Joshua, if you're going to make something, make sure that it's useful, it may look cool and have colors and all kinds of things, but if it's not useful, what good is it? Right?

Joshua Titus: It seems so simple when you say it like that. But honestly, the number of times we see the skeletons of something that at the end of the day, wasn't useful and therefore it isn't used and the landscape is littered with those.

Host: That is a good cautionary tale and a great rapid insight. So Joshua, thank you for that. So we've been looking forward to talking with you as hospitals recognize the value of digital solutions serving as a direct conduit to patients in their communities. When we talk about that direct conduit directly to patients, is that what we're talking about when we hear this phrase digital front door? Is that what that is?

Joshua Titus: Well, I think it is. And specifically in Gozio's case, and I think across the board, it really is talking about mobile digital engagement, smart phones.

Host: Right. So mobile digital engagement that is that digital front door because people can access basically many, many things, right from their phone. And especially in a COVID world where you're checking on appointments or you're either doing tele-medicine or other things, having that power right in it's really important. Is that right?

Joshua Titus: It's exactly right. It's putting the answers where the questions are being asked. And we do so much through our phones today, specifically, you know, with COVID underscoring, the importance of, and you're going to be remote. You're going to be virtual most likely, at least when you start the journey. So yes, put those answers in their hands.

Host: So, give us some benefits then how does a digital front door, mobile platform benefit a hospital?

Joshua Titus: It really centers around engagement and engaging them and making that care and access to care frictionless. So if I were to sort of say, here's the three or four pillars that a digital front door is for Gozio and for our clients, it's that access to care pieces is just huge. That used to mean for us selecting where you needed to go and off you go, and we'll take you there, turn by turn to your destination. But what that has come to me now really is more about here are all your care options, including virtual, like 25% of visits right now are virtual. So making that absolutely seamless so that access to care piece huge and communication is another huge one where your digital front door for us. I remember I get a phone call early April from some clients in a panic look, Josh, we were about to close this hospital down. We're not going to allow any visitors at all.

I have no way to communicate this to my catchment area. How do I communicate with you? I can put a Facebook post up and hope people check it before they come to the hospital with an update on my website, how do I do this? The way that we do this on basically all other things. If I was flying Delta, it's going to be an alert that comes to my phone, heads up the planes late, right. That type of thing. So communication is one of the pillars of what we see as a digital front door. Engagement, we talked about already access to care. And then if you do have to come in to an onsite visit, to be able to do that where it's both frictionless and contactless, I'd like to come and the first person I really want to be within six feet of is my caregiver. So how do I do that? And so mobile is just fantastic for it's what's in my hand, it can guide that journey all the way from home to point of care, without having to interact with anyone, which sound antisocial, but that is a state that we're in right now.

Host: Right. So you talked about engagement, access to care, communication. So those are all things that we always want. So it sounds like digital front door, mobile platforms they're going to be here to stay. Is that right?

Joshua Titus: Absolutely. We were seeing a transition towards it going from a mobile experience to augment the other things that the hospital offered. And I think COVID is really just underscored for us that, that digital front door is no longer nice to have. It's absolutely critical. To have that digital virtual experience that people can use to interface to your system.

Host: So, then it sounds like a healthcare system who hasn't already implemented a mobile digital front door platform. It sounds like this is something that should be on their radar and something they should think about doing right, because there are certainly benefits, not just for the patient, but I would think also for the healthcare system as well in implementing this mobile, digital front door solution?

Joshua Titus: Absolutely. If you don't the guys across the river are, and we see competition drive a lot of our business, and those are the reasons, especially when you start looking at virtual, there might be several systems that offer me the ability to talk to a doctor within 30 minutes virtually, or I can get my scripts filled from home. You better have an offering in front of me that's frictionless, right. That I can just one click and I'm talking to someone, if you don't have that, you're going to fall behind.

Host: Yeah. And some of the important functionalities that you already talked about is that, you know, access to care appointment, scheduling those types of things. What about some of the things we may not even think about like a navigation, how to come in, come in this door or with our COVID restrictions, here's where you need to park. Here's where you need to come in. All of those things in that real-time responsiveness, as you were talking about, those also can be implemented with a mobile strategy. Is that correct?

Joshua Titus: Not only can they be, I would argue that in many ways, it's the only way to do it. If I'm going to be in your hand, while they're traveling to the hospital, I'm going to bring you in the right entrance based on where you're going to get screened. And I've told you ahead of time, I've communicated to you, Hey, by the way, don't bring three visitors with you. It's just going to be you. All those things are tied together. So I think that the navigation component, the communication component are really intertwined and provide that overall experience. I think mobile is key for where we are. And I think that is now out of the bag. Once people have experienced that, just like the virtual visits, where they come down from 25% to maybe 20 or 15 years to come. Yeah, I think so. But there's no way you're putting that back in the bag. Right? Once you've had a script filled from the comfort of your desk at home, you're not going to go back into the office to have it done. Right, that's just a fact.

Host: So, Joshua, if you could. So we get a really good picture of this. Can you share with us an example of a health system who has successfully implemented a mobile digital front door solution?

Joshua Titus: We have quite a few clients, but the one that jumps to mind when you asked that question, I think has just done an exceptional job and has the usage to back it up again, back to the cautionary tale early on is you don't want a thousand users a year. You want a thousand a day. And that system here is in Atlanta is at Piedmont Hospital System. And they've just done a phenomenal job in making that access to care piece, just absolutely frictionless and the way that it works as you open their mobile app, there's a map of basically Georgia or Atlanta, depends on how you zoom. All my care options are available in front of me on that map with wait times. And so I can see urgent cares. I can see quick care. I can see primary care physicians. You're sitting there and you look at this and you've got an ear ache, I know I'm going to see someone this afternoon. I've got a quick care here, urgent care. I don't need to go to the ED.

Even though wait times are low and look at this, I can see a primary care. I can see a real doctor, right? In 30 minutes. I'm going to grab that spot and I can reserve that spot. And now there's no way in the waiting room. And I get turn by turn directions all the way to his or her office. So by laying out all those care options in front of you, and by the way, one that come to prominence, of course, is the virtual visit sitting right there alongside these others, which is, I really don't want to be in a way to move at all. I'm going to take that virtual visit and here's the time slot and I'm going to book it. Just laying it out there so that the client, and it's a little bit of a flip, right? It used to be I to go see Dr. Smith, let me go find some time on Dr. Smith's calendar. Probably have to call his office to do that. This completely flips that, it's now here, all the avenues of care, I select the one that's right for me. Their usage numbers are through the roof presenting things like that has just been instrumental for them doing what they're doing here in the Atlanta market, which is dominating.

Host: So, you said once someone uses this earlier, they're not going back. And you see that in these reuse rates, is that correct, with Piedmont?

Joshua Titus: That's absolutely right. Yeah. Reuse is phenomenal. Usage is very, very high. We travel on the airlines and you think about it. There's no way that we're going to give our Delta apps back right now that I know that I can do everything that I need to do, change my seat. Be notified that we're boarding all these things. There's just no way to go back to calling a front desk and asking these types of questions once we've experienced it, and we've already experienced it. And all these other places, it really is healthcare to a degree playing a bit of catch up on this, but I don't think it's going away.

Host: So, you also talked about engagement. Let me ask you this. Since this is digital, can you track conversion rates? Are you able to see or track those metrics as well?

Joshua Titus: We are, yeah. We have all the analytics around engagement and there's some just amazing things that you can do. And some of our clients are doing operationally, which is Josh, where is everyone standing in the Atlanta area? When they do a search for urgent care, well look at this. There's this giant pot up by Sandy Springs, where we don't have an urgent care. And a lot of people are searching for urgent cares. That's where our next urgent care goes. So we're making huge operational decisions based on all the analytics we're able to provide them with a mobile platform. You have to click throughs are definitely part of that analytics package.

Host: When you talk about, Hey, you better develop this or the people across the street are going to develop it. So you better get in the game. When you do that, this can really be a branding edge too. As a patient may feel, wow, they're really taking care of me digitally. And they're making this process frictionless. This really helps elevate a brand as well. Is that a good way to look at it too?

Joshua Titus: Absolutely. If you think about what we've done in years gone by where we will advertise your DaVinci robot, because the idea that you're leading in technology space, that you differentiate through technology, I must also get great care there, right? We make that logical leap and this is absolutely the same thing around we get you. This is where you want to be. This is where you want to access the health system, how you want to access it and it's at your fingertips. I think it builds a very strong connection to the individual. We think of them as consumers until they arrive at the hospital and then their patients, right. But at the minute they leave your hospital, they're the consumers again. And we want to give you access to them and think of them as consumers.

Host: Can give you that easy access. So Joshua, for someone listening to this, they're thinking, okay, how do I get started with this? What would the first steps be to start thinking about or creating a digital front door, mobile solution?

Joshua Titus: That's a great question. I think the first thing that I would do is I would cheat off someone else's homework. I would find a system that is somewhat like me that had aspirations similar to mine and see what they did. And basically duplicate that. I look at the services that I have. Do I have wait times available? Do I have position databases available? What do I have? What are these disparate data sources that I'm trying to pull together to put into the hands of our patients? And then I would look for a system that's done something similar, and then I want to talk to them. And I would basically take their learnings that steal them and make them my own. And I would find someone to help me do that. Someone who has some views sort of across the horizon and across different clients to say, Hey, here's what works. Here's what doesn't so that you can basically do a very quick catch up. You don't have to make all the mistakes that others have made. You can start with state of the art.

Host: Yeah. That's a great way to do it. Learn from people that are already doing it. And then Joshua, last question, and thank you so much for your time. We haven't really talked about growth or the bottom line. So incorporating a digital front door, mobile strategy certainly can also affect the bottom line and help with growth. Is that right?

Joshua Titus: That's exactly right, Bill. And I will share some stats with you that we have from our analytics. And this is directly from our clients that we look at people who are using mobile to access that system where there's a virtual appointment or making an appointment and coming in 32% of those are new to the system. And of those just as importantly, 69% are commercially insured. To say it bluntly, you're stealing people from other systems in your catchment area, right. And the ones that you want. So as far as driving growth, I don't know what else to say other than the stats show that that is absolutely true.

Host: Yeah. The stats speak for themselves. Holy cow. So that's just another component to this. And another reason why someone should take a look at this, not only for providing that direct access, right to a consumer or patient's fingertips and providing that frictionless access to care, but wow, the stats prove that growth is well, can be helped with a digital front door, mobile solution. Well, Joshua, this has really been interesting and informative, and I thank you for sharing your time with us and talking to us about mobile front door solutions and what you're doing at Gozio Health. Thank you so much again.

Joshua Titus: Bill, thanks for having me on. It was great to meet you and speak with you this morning. Thank you.

Host: That's Joshua Titus from Gozio Health. And we thank them for sponsoring this episode. You can learn more at goziohealth.com. And if you want to learn more about SHSMD, please visit SHSMD.org. That's S H S M D.org and visit our education page to learn about our upcoming programs at SHSMD.org/education. And if you found this podcast helpful and come on, how can you not really, please come on now, please share it on all of your social channels and hit the subscribe or follow button to get every episode. It's important that you do that. This has been a production of Dr. Podcasting I'm Bill Klaproth.