Reimagining Engagement: Gamification’s Role in Next Gen Care Coordination
Innovation in healthcare can’t just be about new features, faster systems, or clever workflows. Real innovation is about solving the problems that matter most: helping patients stay engaged in their care, helping care teams work more efficiently, and enabling hospitals to deliver consistent, high-quality outcomes across every setting.
At Deacon, product innovation starts with a simple belief: user experiences should feel intuitive, supportive, and enjoyable. When technology feels like a burden, it gets ignored. When it feels natural, people use it. When people love using it, they stay engaged.
That’s why our product and engineering teams are studying the world of gaming.
Not to turn care into entertainment, but to understand what makes digital experiences so compelling and how those same principles can help patients feel more supported, more motivated, and more connected during some of the most vulnerable moments in their lives.
Putting the Patient at the Center of Innovation
Every innovation we explore is grounded in the lived experience of patients. A surgical episode places enormous cognitive, emotional, and logistical demands on people who may already feel overwhelmed. As a result, it’s easy for adherence to slip, which can slow progress and compromise recovery.
That’s why, as we explore new ways to enhance engagement, we’re evaluating how gamification principles could fit into the real world of recovery.
Innovation done right should meet patients where they are and make the path to recovery feel manageable—not confusing or punitive.
Gamification in Healthcare: A Growing Opportunity
Gamification is already gaining traction across healthcare, especially in wellness, chronic disease management, and rehabilitation. Early research shows that game-inspired elements can help:
- Improve adherence to care plans
- Increase patient activation
- Reduce anxiety during clinical processes
- Reinforce positive behaviors
- Make complex steps feel more structured and approachable
Think of it as applying proven behavioral science—goal setting, feedback loops, incremental wins—to healthcare journeys that desperately need simplicity and support.
When patients understand what’s expected, can follow their progress, and feel rewarded for following clear steps, engagement goes up. And with CMS’s TEAM (Transforming Episode Accountability Model) and other value-based models placing new weight on outcomes, helping patients stay engaged is essential.
What We’re Learning From Gacha Games
One of the areas we’re studying is the design logic behind gacha games—experiences built around discovery, anticipation, and delight. These games succeed because they tap into a powerful psychological driver: the reward of uncovering something new.
In healthcare, “surprise” must be handled thoughtfully. But the underlying principle—unexpected moments of encouragement—can be meaningful.
Imagine a recovery experience where:
- Completing a post-op task unlocks helpful encouragement from a coordinator
- Uploading a progress photo triggers positive reinforcement
- A difficult milestone is met with a new resource
Patients feel a sense of movement, not stagnation.
Our team is asking: How can we borrow from this psychology in a way that’s clinically sound, emotionally safe, and aligned with our patient-first mission?
Seeing the Care Journey as a Quest
Another powerful concept comes from quest-based games, where a user moves through a structured journey with clear objectives, checkpoints, and progress markers.
For patients navigating a surgical episode, this is exactly what’s missing.
A quest-based model could someday help:
- Break recovery into small, achievable tasks
- Make next steps visible and predictable
- Show progress in tangible, motivating ways
- Integrate coordinator guidance at the right moments
- Reduce the cognitive load of “Am I doing this right?”
A quest framework may also support clinicians by standardizing expectations, surfacing risks earlier, and keeping all parties aligned around shared goals.
The End Game
As we explore these ideas, one thing remains constant: technology is a critical component of the future of care coordination.
The combination of intuitive design, thoughtful behavioral science, AI-driven insights, and the consistent support of our coordinators will make all the difference.
And while gamification is still in early exploration, the goal remains the same as ever: make care easier, make patients feel supported, and make recovery more successful.