Challenge
Arkansas Children's Hospital was facing increasing regional competition from other heart centers, leading to concerns about losing potential patient families. However, leadership wasn't sure what factors were driving families' decisions to choose one center over another.
They needed to understand the key influences behind families' decisions to either seek care at Arkansas Children's Heart Center or choose an alternative provider. Additionally, they sought to uncover any gaps or pain points experienced by referring Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM) Specialists and OBGYNs in the process.
Approach
Through a combination of 1:1 in-depth interviews with patients and referring physicians and collaborative workshops with key internal stakeholders we immersed ourselves in the journey of congenital heart defects. We understood the emotions families were going through, the pain points providers struggled with during referral and the decision-making drivers for both as they sought a solution.
These diverse perspectives were then synthesized into detailed journey maps, highlighting key touchpoints, enablers, constraints, and the emotional landscape of each experience.
Finally, we brought everyone together in design thinking workshops. Patient families, Arkansas Children's staff, and referring physicians collaborated to brainstorm, prototype, and iterate on innovative solutions that would directly address the most pressing challenges.
Outcome
Our collaborative journey uncovered critical gaps in communication between patients, referring physicians, and the hospital. These insights, gleaned from design sprints and in-depth conversations, fueled the creation of a powerful experience blueprint. This blueprint served as more than just a plan—it was a strategic roadmap to address these communication challenges head-on and create a truly patient-centered experience.
We also armed Arkansas Children's Hospital with a practical toolkit which included a communication framework to foster connection, and a measurement framework to track their progress.
The result is an Arkansas Children's Heart Center focused on patients and referring physicians, fostering a thriving environment built on trust and confidence, making them the top choice for families navigating heart challenges.
