For the past few decades, the age-old challenge, "physician, heal thyself," has been directed not at individual providers, but at the entire medical profession. Policy makers, thought leaders and clinical innovators have searched for plausible strategies to fix what's wrong and improve the sustainability of health care. Managed care appeared to be an early solution but, unfortunately, one that failed to fulfill its promise of controlling costs. Likewise, the 1990s-style of health care reform never got off the ground.

After years of ineffectual tinkering, health care leaders have come to realize that any successful solution must increase patient involvement in some way -- primarily by urging individuals to take on greater financial responsibility for their health care. This conclusion has nurtured growing interest in a movement toward consumer-driven health care (CDH), founded on the premise that patients who are more invested in their medical treatment -- preferably in return for lower premiums or better coverage -- will be smarter decision-makers about preventive services and care management.

Not only is this beneficial for patients with chronic diseases, but also for those who want to maintain their healthy well-being.

While few argue the potential merits of the approach, providers throughout the country are stymied about how best to fuel the transition to CDH. Their challenge is to determine how best to respond to this trend and facilitate greater patient involvement.

You expect what you pay for
There is no question that CDH demands consumer-centric service. Providers must instigate an industry-wide paradigm shift: Instead of accommodating their own preferences and proclivities, they must put their patients' convenience and needs first.

As their out-of-pocket costs grow, patients' expectations as consumers will rise. It's a simple question of microeconomics: Before they part with their money, patients will be more attentive to quality, access and service than if a third party were footing the bill. This means that, as the CDH movement expands, extended hold times on the phone, long waits in the lobby or exam room, delays in communicating test results and sluggish response to requests will become unacceptable.

This presents health care providers with a dilemma: How to offer higher levels of personalized customer service to their patients? Certainly providers could hire more staff, but the costs associated with this undermine the overarching objectives of CDH.

The answer lies in consumer-friendly technologies. While new to health care, these concepts are well-regarded in other industries, which have adopted progressive strategies in the areas of communications, outreach and self-service. Examples can be found in the experience of veterinary practices and auto dealerships. Both do an excellent job of staying in contact with customers and anticipating their needs, from medication administration and grooming to oil changes and trade-in opportunities.

These trends reinforce patients' rising expectations relative to customer service because they are accustomed to doing business online for more convenience or using onsite kiosks to save time. Of course, not every patient is clamoring for this type of change. Some patients, for example, may prefer traditional interaction. But it's important to realize that they, too, share in the benefit of consumer-centric service. After all, streamlined operations with automated interactions will free staff to focus on patients who need personal attention.

Self-service technology
The need to adopt self-service technology no doubt places an additional burden on medical practices. They now have to maintain Web sites, for example -- certainly not a task that falls within the skill set of clinical core competencies. Patients also may expect providers to communicate via e-mail and want to make appointments online. 

Burdensome or not, even these baseline technologies offer value. Rudimentary Web sites, for example, provide information such as directions or office hours that previously would have required patients to call the practice. Online appointment requests can dramatically reduce the volume of incoming calls, minimize on-hold times and help improve front-office productivity. Proactive, secure e-mail communication is viewed as high-touch -- but also can cut costs, since the practice incurs no supply or postage expense.

For many providers, phase one consumer-driven technologies include electronic appointment requests, email-based or text-message-based reminders, online bill payment, lab result access by phone or Web, automated prescription renewal systems, and online pre-registration. Patients embrace the convenience and staff members welcome the workflow changes supporting these systems -- particularly because they yield results in patient satisfaction and organizational productivity. They represent ideal, quick-win projects in the evolving CDH world.

Moving beyond the basics
Phase Two solutions work best if implemented within the context of these preliminary changes. Virtual office visits and secure physician e-mail would not be practical without the foundation of Phase One capabilities and a critical mass of participants. Offering virtual office visits without pre-registration, for instance, would be like an airline offering online seat selection for flights that must be booked by phone.

Even these advanced solutions are beginning to gain a hold in the industry. More providers are enjoying success with self-service technologies and are eager to extend their value. Plus, payers are removing financial disincentives by considering reimbursement for opportunities such as virtual encounters. They recognize that there are hundreds of minor-acuity concerns that health care professionals can address without a physical office visit, including seasonal allergies and recurring yeast infections. Payers are realizing that these technologies help control costs. Likewise, many patients are willing to pay additional fees for such convenience.

The prescription for ensuring the long-term well-being of health care in America is complex. Effective change has been a long time coming and progress has often been painfully slow. But CDH is catalyzing the transformation. To keep pace, medical providers will have to embrace IT resources and consumer-driven technologies as key tactics and, ultimately, as the strategic business drivers they are.

Mr. Malik is CEO for Medfusion, a Raleigh, N.C.-based company that offers enhanced patient communication solutions to health care providers.